Silver as the Sword
by Chloe Benson
Summary: Elara's death marks the turning point in the revolution, and the Silvers are finally on the defensive, giving the Scarlet Guard the perfect opportunity to take more heavily guarded targets. As the war against the Silvers progresses though, the Scarlet Guard begins to fracture as some choose a path that may win the war faster, but also cost the lives of every member...
1. Dramatis Persona

_**Silver as the Sword** _

Mare Barrow: Phoenix legion member: _the Little Lightening Girl_

Shade Barrow: Scarlet Guard member: _teleporter_

Bree Barrow: Scarlet Guard member

Tramy Barrow: Scarlet Guard member

Gisa Barrow: Scarlet Guard member

Chelsea: Phoenix Legion member: _illusionist_

Maven Calore: King of Norta: F _lame of the North_

Tiberius (Cal) Calore: Leader of Phoenix Legion: _the Traitor Prince_

Farley: Scarlet Guard leader

Hector Ishem: Scarlet Guard member

Maggie: Phoenix Legion member: _whisperer_

Maribel: Scarlet Guard Leader

Oscar _:_ Pheonix Legion member: _nymph_

Evangeline Samos: Former Queen of Norta

Ptolemus Samos: Leader of Shadow Legion

Torin: Phoenix Legion member: _burner_

Kilorn Warren: Scarlet Guard member

 _Elara's death marks the turning point in the revolution, and the Silvers are finally on the defensive, giving the Scarlet Guard the perfect opportunity to take more heavily guarded targets. As the war against the Silvers progresses though, the Scarlet Guard begins to fracture as some choose a path that may win the war faster, but also cost the lives of every member. Caught in the middle, Phoenix Legion must make the dangerous decision to break off from the Scarlet Guard completely, or perhaps even worse, choose a side._

 _With Maven personally hunting down Cal for the murder of his mother, his vengeful streak reaches an all time high as he strikes out against the Reds to get his brother out of the shadows. And as Mare and Cal work to find Julian, who may or may not still be alive, they encounter deadly situations with Phoenix Legion, and their relationship is put to the test once more as they try to decide whether or not to continue on the path they've chosen._

 _As the climax of the revolution looms, the stakes are higher than ever, victory is never certain, and not everyone may see the Red Dawn._

 _Only one thing is certain in this time:_

 ** _Red will Rise._**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

 _ **(/The Stilts/)**_

The morning mist hung heavy in the air, and a layer of snow, that had fallen overnight, scrunched below foot, as the Sentinel's marched the defeated band of Reds to the center of the market. Everywhere, men, women, and children were standing on balconies, or in the slushy mud at their feet, huddling together for warmth or a fraction of comfort. Behind them, soldiers stood at the ready, observing silently and waiting for a sign of distress. In the crowd below them, someone gave a mournful cry, that fell to silence as more ashy flakes fell and continued to freeze those who had been forced out of their homes to watch the hanging.

Marching the band of traitors up the steps, Ptolemus allowed himself a fraction of a glance in their direction. It was a pitiful group at best. Among the five of them, the oldest was, at most twenty two, and the youngest was surely no less than ten. The youngest boy was in the middle, sheltered by two teenages, who looked like they wanted to spit on the men boxing them in. They all wore nothing but rags and defiant glares, as they were led up to their fates. The youngest was brought a box to stand on so he could reach the noose. He was lifted and slammed down onto it, his shackles clanking like doomsday bells. Surprisingly, he hadn't cried yet, and something about that irked Ptolemus.

As soon as they were all in position, before their nooses, he raised the parchment in his hand to read, "By decree of his Royal Majesty, anyone to deal, or so much as associate with the group known as the Scarlet Guard, shall be hanged," he glanced up at the crowd, hoping for terrified faces. All he got, though, were sneers and growls of disapproval. Setting his jaw, he lifted the paper up, and continued, "The previous royal proclamation still stands, anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of said traitors to the crown, will be rewarded with rations and draft release cards."

Once more, he glanced up to see if anyone had stepped forward. He was surprised to see an old man, who was leaning desperately on a cane, his old weathered face dark with sun spots from years of back breaking labor. Raising a gnarled finger to point in the direction of the boys about to be hanged, he proclaimed, "They have promised us freedom, hope for our children and grandchildren, you have but paper to offer us. What makes you think we would betray those that are fighting for us so desperately?"

One of the Sentinels stepped forward, his whip unraveling in his hand like a snake about to strike. Before the man could react or step back into the crowd, he had received a lashing across his face. He crumpled to the mud, and Ptolemus looked away in disgust. So much for promising them something. The damn rebels had given them a taste of freedom, a chance at hope, and if there was one thing he knew, it was that hope was what bred the fall of regimes.

Turning, he pointed at the Sentinel manning the levers that controlled the nooses, and exclaimed, "I order, you traitors, executed for crimes against the crown."

The man stepped up to the first lever, and wrapped his fingers tightly around it, his expression hidden by his hood. Ptolemus paced once across the line of men being sent to die and paused before the youngest. He was singing softly under his breath and clutching something tightly in his hand. Reaching out, Ptolemus grabbed his chin and forced him to look up, as he growled, "What are you saying?"

Smiling tightly, the boy raised his voice and raised his voice proudly, "There was a little lightning girl that knocked a queen on her head, and then there was traitor prince who joined up with the Reds..."

Slowly, the other's began to join him until the whole crowd was chanting along with him, and Ptolemus flipped around in surprise, unsure of what to do, as the Reds voices rose to almost a scream.

 _So all hail the King of thieves, murderers, liars, and everything in between. We'll keep our blood nice and red, and someday you'll bow to us instead._

Turning in a desperate circle to find the location of the loudest group, his eyes landed on the boy again, who had unfolded what was in his hands, and was bearing it for all to see. It was a bright, scarlet cloth, that shined with tiny golden suns; the symbol of the cursed Guard.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ptolemus watch his men, who had slowly backed toward the center of the platform, as the crowd lurched forward suddenly. Raising his hand above him, he shouted for his men to fire.

The first line of Reds fell in a heap, and the others began to scatter in terror as more and more of them fell to the snow, turning it scarlet. The screams were pitiful as they tried to escape, but there was no where they could hide, and they must have known that. Woman tried to shelter their children, who were crying in fear, as the sound of guns exploded through the frigid air. The ones on the balconies tumbled to the snow and fell in piles, blocking the exits for those still in the center.

As the last of them were falling to their deaths, Ptolemus turned and gave the final order over the chaos, and one by one the rebels fell, their nooses tight on their necks.

In the blood stained breeze, the bright cloth fell, catching the faint light of morning on the golden symbols, as the sun finally rose, burning the sky scarlet.

 _(/ **Mare** /)_

I glanced in the mirror for the twelfth time that morning. Lifting the curtain of my hair for the eleventh time, I glanced at the short, thick scar that dominated my right shoulder. It was beautiful in a way, a sort of reminder of how fragile my life was, how precious my life was.

Slowly, I let the strands of my hair slip out of my hand like streams of water. They fell and covered the scar naturally, before I pulled up the strap of my top and covered it again. I glanced back up at the cracked mirror and looked over my features. My skin was paler from spending less time in the sun, and appeared like a light honey color, making the freckles under my eyes stand out even further. The graying ends of my hair seemed more prominent, as my hair tumbled in messy waves down to the bottom of my shoulder blades. For a moment, I could see beauty in the reflection staring back at me. Maybe even enough beauty to warrant the affection of the man, who had shared his heart with me once more.

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and looked at the earrings there. As always, there were three. One for each brother I had seen go to war. Each one a different color, painting a picture of the person that I had pierced into my mind and heart for the rest of my life. They were a reminder, a reminder that once upon a time, I would have given one to Gisa to wear when I was dragged out the door.

With steady hands, I reached into the small cup on the shelf in front of me and pulled out the fourth earring. It was a fine red, like the blood that coursed through my veins. Red embeded with what looked like black veins, like his house colors.

I winced only momentarily, as I pierced my skin once more. Nothing seemed to hurt me anymore. I supposed that being shot, and almost bleeding out was enough to change anyone's perspective on pain.

Pressing the backing in, I admired my work. My hand fell to the chain around my neck. Dangling on the end of it was a single bullet, the very one that Gisa had pulled from my shoulder. She had come to me after I had woken, and shown it to me, asking what I wanted to do with it. Instead of telling her to throw it out like she thought I would have, I took it from her and had her find me a chain. I had strung it around my neck, and I had never taken it off since then. It was a constant reminder, when I couldn't see the scar, of how close to death that I had come, how close I had come to losing everything I had ever loved.

I closed my eyes, as I stroked the tiny metal cylinder that had come only a fraction of a centimeter from piercing one of my main arteries. It should have killed me, but it hadn't. I had refused to bow to death, and that fact alone gave me the courage to get up every morning and look at the information that was coming in from the scouts on Maven's doings.

"Mare?"

I lifted my eyes to glance in the top corner of the mirror and see who had called my name. Standing in the doorway, dressed in fatigues that must have come from Shade, was Cal. His eyes were drawn to my own in the mirror and golden irises met muddy brown as we locked eyes. I offered him a tired smile over my shoulder, and replied, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not too long, but I've been calling your name for the past five minutes out in the rooms, though." He answered, as he stepped into the small room and set his hands on my shoulders. I glanced back at the mirror and leaned into him, resting my head against the spot where his collarbones met. He sighed in response to the movement, and set his chin on my head, his voice soft, as he whispered, "Farley wants us in command, something's happened."

"Maven again?" I questioned, as I reached up and set my hand on his, squeezing to comfort him if I was right. Maven had been causing Cal pain ever since we got back to the base in the mountains. Maven had started with striking out at innocent civilians, and finished with new measures. They restricted the Red further, no transport unless it's with a Silver officer, all letter would be read before being sent, and finally, as if he weren't enough of a monster, Maven lowered the conscription age by one more year. He would be sending babies off to the front lines. Kids who would be just finishing their reading skills would have a gun shoved in their hands before they were forced out of the barracks and into hell. The first account of his rage had involved a little girl who had tried to steal a cup of water from a fountain in one of the cities. He'd ordered her killed, calling for us, notably Cal and Farley, to come save her, and admonishing us when we hadn't. She'd been killed the next day.

Cal closed his eyes and pressed a light kiss into my hair, his touch both warm and cold at the same time. He whispered softly into my hair a moment later, "Not exactly, but it can be tied back to him."

I closed my eyes tightly and turned around to bury my face in his shoulder and grab fistsfuls of his shirt in my hands as I clutched at him. His arms slipped around my hips and he pulled me close to him, his breath hot against the baby hairs on my forehead. I chewed on my lip lightly before whispering into his shoulder, "The nightmares are back."

"I know," He whispered, as he buried his face in my hair, one of his arms coming up to cup my shoulder blade as he squeezed me like I might disappear if he didn't hold on tightly. I could feel the warmth that radiated off of him through his shirt, and I let it lull me for only a second. These moments were rare for us during the day, with both of us being pulled in ten different directions on a good day. I rarely got to just stand with him and enjoy the feeling of safety that came with him holding me like this. No one made me feel safer than Cal, nothing made me feel more confident than his nod of approval, no one made me feel more loved than him.

"I've been getting them too."

"I don't hear you wake up." I whispered softly, as I ran one of my hands up to cup his neck and tangle my fingers in his hair. He sighed again and murmured, "I try to be quiet, so that you can sleep. I don't want to wake you up."

"Well that's ironic, because I'm usually awake."

He untangled himself from me and reached up to cup my cheek softly. I turned into his touch and pressed a light kiss into his palm. He seemed to shiver at the touch, and then with a tenuous smile, he ran his thumb over the skin under my eye, taking in the heavy dark circles there before replying, "Come on, Little Lightning Girl, we're needed in command."

I smiled at his use of the nickname, as I threaded my fingers through his and let him lead me out into the hallway. As we exited the room, Maggie breezed by, her curls a haze, as she sprinted by us, Torin following not far behind, screaming at her to give him his boot back. Cal only sighed at their antics, and running a tired hand down his face, he murmured, "We'll have to deal with that when we get back."

"I doubt that, Maggie won't be able to run for that long. In fact, she'll probably find somewhere to hide the boot, and Torin will find it soon." I replied lightly before patting his chest reassuringly, then turned to start down the hallway. Cal followed me lightly, his expression exhausted as he trailed behind me like a shadow. His fingers still reached out to latch onto mine, as we entered the massive main hallway.

The main hallway connected all areas of the compound. It was a vast open space, that was shaped liked an octagon, with a cascading waterfall in the center where all the melting snow and runoff water from the mountains above us drained into a massive pool hundred of feet down. It was channeled into a dam that produced the electricity we received here. Each wall had an opening that connected to more hallways that led to other parts of the compound. The one to our immediate right was the massive carved entrance to the hallway that would take us down to the hangar that belonged to Phoenix Legion. Directly across from us was the entrance that led to the main hangar for the Scarlet Guard. Next to that was the passage that led to the other set of barracks that held most of the Guard and the civilians. That was where my parents were staying. Shade continued to stay with the others, citing that he needed to be with the soldiers and not learning how his ability ticked. Of course Cal had been disappointed with that, but in a strange way, he understood. He had told me about his random excursions to sleep in the Legion quarters, and how he had always felt more comfortable there than in the palace.

We took a left and walked along the perimeter, the cold water splashing against the rock around it, creating rainbows as it cascaded down. All around us, people were sprinting to get somewhere, their arms loaded down with papers, supplies, or battle plans. Others were walking casually, laughing and talking with other soldiers. They all smiled and waved at us as we walked around them or through them. By now, Cal and I were extremely well known in the Guard. Everyone knew our names, from the tiny toddlers that still clutched at their mother's skirts, to the elders that sat around the fires, told stories, and mended uniforms. The news of our relationship had spread like a wildfire through the Guard, and many people had come up and congratulated us, saying they couldn't believe it had taken us almost a year to finally figure it were in awe of the Red and Silver that stood as equals like we did, who let the other touch them softly, and who whispered and laughed quietly with each other. Others, well, to put it mildly, had sneered in my direction and hissed blood traitor as I walked by. We tried to smile and bear through everything, but my mother was the worst when it came to these things. The woman was on a rampage to make sure that Cal actually felt like a part of our family while we were together. Of course that made dinners impossibly uncomfortable, with Shade making snide comments every other second, my mom asking awkward questions and my dad huffing every time we avoided the questions.

All in all though, we had survived the first month as a couple. Apparently, that was a very big benchmark according to my mother and every other woman who saw me walking around alone. Of course, my brothers and every other male around us were riding Cal for details on what were we doing, had we had a major fight yet, had I kicked him in my sleep yet? Honestly, I felt terrible for him, getting the brunt of the embarrassing moments. He dealt with them well, though, his composure only wavering once, when Shade had made a remark about us sleeping together. That had involved him choking on his water, then Bree screaming at me to give him mouth to mouth before he died, which had then resulted in my flicking a grape at his head.

As we passed into the entryway that led the main command room, a young group of soldiers sprinted past us, partially tripping over themselves. They looked like little boys trying to win a race. Behind them, a young girl was running, screaming at one of them to slow down. I watched them with a whimsical smile, remembering another little Red girl that had sprinted after her brothers, screaming at them to slow down so that she could catch up. Now it seemed as if she was the one doing the sprinting and they were screaming at her to let them catch up.

In my distraction, I hadn't noticed Cal tugging on my hand slightly. Finally, sensing the pull, I glanced at him with a questioning expression. He sighed, and then nodding in the direction we had been going, he reprimanded, "We're going to be late now."

"Oh please," I grumbled as I started after him, weaving my way through the flood of bodies, "Like you haven't been late before."

He glanced back at me with a frown that should have made me agree with anything he said, but I only felt a smile tug at my lips. He turned the corner into the command center and holding the door open for me, he leaned close to whisper, "All the more reason to not be late."

I rolled my eyes at his serious tone, and stepped into the bustling command room. People sprinted around like bees in a busy hive. I could see Maribel in front of the large monitor, glancing down at the radar equipment to monitor the teams that we had out in the field. Right behind her, was Chelsea, who had been spending quite a bit of time with the young technical coordinator. She looked up as we passed and gave us a tiny smile before looking down at the same screen as Maribel. Cal leaned back to glance at it too, his eyes scanning every detail before nodding in silent confirmation to no one, but himself. A group of young men sitting at the table at the foot of the stairs, waiting for their shift to begin, were in deep conversation. One of them was looking around hesitantly as he whispered, and I only caught the tail end of his comment, as we approached.

"-moving soon, and we should all be ready..." He saw Cal passing, and immediately fell silent, his eyes dropping down as he realized we were in hearing distance. Cal only frowned at him and glanced down at Maribel in the pit, who was looking up at the the boys and us. With one foot on the stairs, I looked back at Cal, curiosity setting in.

He was watching the boys with narrowed eyes, but behind the grim emotion on his face, I could see the barest flicker of disappointment coloring his irises. I didn't see what he had to be disappointed about. The boys were obviously gossiping about something, but surely not something that should worry Cal like that.

I reached out and set my hand on Cal's shoulder softly, and his gaze snapped to mine. I nodded up the stairs in the direction to the meeting place of the commanders and started up the metal stairs that echoed hollowly with my steps. At the top, Farley was sitting alone, staring out at some distant future that none of us could see. She was leaning back in her chair, her chin resting on her fist. She looked tired and drawn, like a bow with its string pulled taut.

As we stepped into the room, she glanced over her shoulder to look at us, and her eyes seemed to light up, as she observed us. Settling back comfortably again, she glanced at the board hanging on the wall and stated, "I see you're allowed out of the medical rooms and finally walking about-"

"Don't remind her, she's already getting antsy," Cal interrupted, as he sank into his chair and ran a tired hand through his hair. I took a seat next to him, my elbows coming to rest on the table, and my chin settling on my clasped hands. I couldn't hide my smile though, and Farley mirrored my reaction as she shifted in her chair to face us. Her smile slowly fell though, as she glanced down at the dull tabletop and the papers stacked there.

I followed her eyes and watched as Farley softly pushed the papers toward me, her eyes downcast as she whispered, This is a recent report our scouts brought us, I-I want to keep it under wraps for reasons that I'm sure you'll understand once you read it."

I picked up the paper with careful precision, as if it was made of carefully laid glass that would shatter under my touch, glancing at the memo we had received. It opened with a short summary of the riots that had exploded in Summerton, followed by the quick removal of the inciters, then it explained that the Sentinels had delved into the Stilts kicking down doors, and searching mercilessly for members of the Guard. I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I read the details of the hanging that had taken place in the early hours of the morning. I put the paper down on its face before I could read the death count, my hand shaking slightly as I leaned away from the paper and whispered, "No one knows about this?"

"We are the only ones." Farley replied as she took the paper and set it back in the stack, practically moving it to perfection as she looked down at it forlornly. Her expression was clouded as she sank into her chair and massaged her closed eyes with her fingertips. "We were lucky that our scouts got out when they did. The-The men who were hanged… they had gone to warn our operatives, and were caught helping them escape."

My stomach turned, so many people had been killed for the same thing, and it was starting to wear on me like water crashing against the rocks of the highest bluff. How many were going to die before this whole thing was over, before I could lie down at night and not think about the hundreds of men, women, and children that were out there that had fallen for one cause or the other. It seemed that the more blood was spilled, the more it ran both red and silver. Slowly they were starting to pool together, blending into one color before my eyes. It was sickening to think about, and I closed my eyes against the image, trying not to remember my nightmare from last night.

Cal's warm hand slid on top of mine and he laced his fingers with mine slowly. I could feel the warmth that radiated from him and it eased some of the pain, but not all of it, never all of it. I still needed the prick of guilt to keep driving me, to keep reminding me that I had to remember where I had come from and all the people back there that were relying on me, even if they didn't know it.

"What else is happening there?" I whispered, and even though I was looking at Farley, I felt like my voice was muffled somehow, like I was speaking from underwater up to her.

She only sighed tenuously at my question and then adjusted the tattered jacket she wore. "They're under marshall law at the moment, no one is allowed in or out, curfew is effective an hour before sundown. A few days ago, the Sentinels…."

She trailed off as if she didn't want to tell me the rest, and for the first time in what seemed to be eternity, I felt the first inkling of irritation. I was high enough up in the Guard now that I knew most of what was going on. Not to mention the information Cal relayed from the council meeting before we fell asleep Whatever was happening, I deserved to know. The Stilts was my home, and I had known the people there since I was a toddler. I had a right to know what had become of them. I set my hard gaze on Farley and urged, "Yes?"

She rose from her chair suddenly and snipped, "You never make things easy Barrow."

"I figured that's what you liked about me, that I make things difficult." I hit back, the words rolling off my tongue easily. She seemed to swell in size, and it took Cal raising the temperature in the space between us for us to realize that this was escalating out of control. I slowly sank back down into my chair, my eyes looking everywhere but at Farley. I had been a live wire since Delphie, and I couldn't seem to cool down. Everything was amplified, and I couldn't calm my thoughts enough to relax.

Farley sank down slowly onto the edge of the table, her expression slightly sour. Eventually her features softened and she whispered, "They burned a quarter of the Stilts to the ground to find our operatives. Almost two hundred were killed, adding to the total."

My stomach did another turn and I inhaled sharply. It was like being punched in the gut, and even though it hadn't been a physical attack, I still doubled over slightly. My breath came in a sharp inhale and a swift exhale, as I tried to bow my head and avoid the truth.

"I'm sorry Barrow, I figured you would want to know, though." Farley's voice was nothing but a murmur on the edge of my senses, and I tried not to let it show, how shattered I was by this news. That was my home, burned and beaten to it's knees, no different from me I supposed, except for the fact that I still had enough strength to stand and take another hit.

While I was zoned out, Cal and Farley had taken the conversation in an entirely different route. Evangeline had become the next hushed topic. They bickered softly on what to do with her, if she could be trusted, should she even be given a chance?

"She's dangerous, Calore. I don't care if she gave you an oath or not. She agreed too easily." Farley snipped as she rose again to pace toward the railing like an animal pacing the bars of its cage. Cal watched her through narrowed eyes, his expression mostly neutral. "I understand that, but she would do anything to save her own skin, just as I would have done. I believe that as long as it is in her best interest, she will stay with us."

"And if she's lying, if she's working for Maven?" Farley quipped, her back to Cal as she glanced over her shoulder. The shadows played tricks with her features, and the scar on the corner of her lip made it appear as if she were sneering at him. Shifting slightly in his chair at the question, Cal replied calmly, "Then I will take full responsibility for what happens."

Farley didn't appear in the least bit convinced, but I eventually saw her jaw clench. No matter what they argued on, the past year had solidified Cal's word in Farley's eyes. She had come to know him as a man of his word, and I'm sure she was eternally grateful to have someone like that around that she could trust. "Fine, she is your responsibility then, I won't have her wandering around my compound without your supervision, nor will she be allowed out of this place."

"Fine." Cal shrugged as he went to rise, assuming everything had been dealt with. Farley raised her hand, though, and gestured for him to sit once more, she confessed, "There is one more very important thing we need to discuss, that must also be kept between us."

More secrets, I thought bitterly as I leaned back into the chair and crossed my arms, only to reach out and fiddle with my new earring. The area around it was still warm, and I twisted the stud absent mindedly, trying to rotate it.

How many more things would I have to keep a secret, before I was keeping them from myself? Glancing at Cal carefully, I wondered how many he was keeping from me.

Leaning against the railing lightly, Farley crossed her arms and bowed her head to look at her boots. "I have heard whispers of insurrection among the men. They don't believe in the leadership of our division anymore. They think we're going soft on the Silvers, and I don't want the Samos girl to be one more reason for them to explode into full outcry."

"Tell them we converted her then, that she's a prisoner that has defected to the Guard." I supplied, as I pulled my fingers away causally to look at the tiny pearl of red blood there. Apparently I had been tugging too hard at the little earring.

"Oh yes, and let them believe we never thought of killing her, I'm sure they'll take that quite nicely."

"Well you don't have to tell them anything, not everyone knows that we captured her. Just clean up the collateral damage by saying that she was an operative working for us the whole time. Play it in tune with my story, that I was working for the Guard in the palace, and that I recruited her." I supplied once more as I rested my head in my hand. Farley glared at me over her shoulder for a moment before murmuring, "Should have thought of that myself."

I smiled smugly, but tried to smother it as she whirled around to state, "Fine, then I expect you to cover the story with her. You are also in charge of that now, Barrow."

My jaw dropped spectacularly as I cried in outrage, "You want me to work with her? She tried to kill me!"

"As I recall so did you." Cal breathed softly, as if I wasn't sitting right next to him and could hear every word. I pointed my finger at him threateningly and accused, "That was self-defense!"

But he had a point, Evangeline and I had been at each other's throats since day one. She'd tried to kill me, and in turn I had tried to kill her, none too kindly either. I feared that the minute she was allowed out of that cell, that she would hunt me down and deal me a beating that would make me wish I had never even been conceived. If she did though, God help Cal to stop me from going after her next.

"Like it or not, you two are responsible for her. By now, I assume you've fortified you little home for the abandoned and orphaned enough to make a little blockade." Farley stated sarcastically, as she paced back to the table and shuffled the papers to gather them, closing the conversation for now. Although Cal stood on almost equal footing with her as a general, almost a captain according to rumours, he could never argue with one of her direction orders, so he shifted uncomfortably once more and replied, "Agreed. We'll take her with us immediately."

I glared at him openly, wishing for once that I was a whisperer, so I could scream in his head about how terrible of an idea this was, and how I was seriously upset that he hadn't demanded other concessions for this. We needed supplies for training. There was so little funding now, though. Although there was supposed to be new funding coming in from the south, it had yet to reach us, and it was obvious that parts of the Guard were suffering. The uniforms had become patchier, and the meals had become smaller. The ammo was running low, and our morale was starting to follow it, as people began to realize that we might have a problem.

Having gathered her papers and concluded the meeting, Farley turned to leave, but almost ran into Maribel at the top of the stairs. They looked at each other in surprise for a moment, before the technician bowed out of the way to her superior. Farley gave her a light smile, and began to descend the steps into the pit. Dorian flanked her immediately and began to prattle off information about incoming crews, and supplies. No wonder Farley always looked so tired, she was constantly surrounded by her work. It was hard to function without a moment's respite.

Maribel watched her go, her expression almost sad, as she turned to face us once more. She approached us with a forlorn air, as she held out a small envelope before her. It was made out of what looked like thick paper, and was cream in nature. I looked at it in confusion until she approached me and murmured, "This was found at the bottom of the mail room. It had no return address, and is only addressed to you, Mare."

I frowned as I took it from her and glanced it over. The script on the front was written in looping cursive that was reminiscent of the Silver Court. I frowned, as I turned it over to look at the seal, but there was none. If I squinted, though, I could make out what looked like writing on the inside, but it looked too neat and uniform to have been done by hand.

I looked up at Maribel in confusion and asked, "Have you opened it?"

She only shook her head and replied, "We just checked to see if it may have been filled with some biochemical weapon, but it came back clean. Just parchment and ink."

I frowned as I slowly opened it. Inside was a single thin piece of paper, but as I slipped it out, the envelope unfolded and revealed that it had been made from a book page. I set down the other sheet of paper and glanced over the envelope. Cal leaned over my shoulder to look as well, and then taking it out of my hand suddenly he murmured, "This is from Julian's notes, I-" his voice cut off suddenly and I looked at him curiously to see what was the problem. His expression was pained as he continued, "I would recognize his handwriting anywhere."

Sure enough, on one of the edges there were words scribbled into the margins and my heart ached to see it. Had my beloved mentor and Cal's uncle come to haunt us from beyond the grave? I snatched up the other paper to see what was written there, terrified that it would be from Maven claiming his victory, but I saw no such thing.

My hand shook, and I felt my lips pull up in a wide grin, as I grabbed Cal's wrist and cried softly, "Cal… Cal, it's from Julian!"

His eyes snapped to the paper and I read joyfully, "Little Lightning Girl, it appears that this may never find its way to you, but if it should, I congratulate you on your victory over Elara in the Bowl of Bones. Remember that rebellion only takes a spark…" I felt my throat closing up with tears, as I continued, "By the time you read this, Sara and I will be far from here, and I doubt we'll ever met again. If we don't, I wish you the best. Stay out of trouble, and be careful. I've always had my money on you. Always the best, Julian."

I sank back into the chair, rereading his words, over and over again. My heart ached, until I glanced down and read his last line. I let out a soft laugh, and then whispered, "If my nephew is with you when you read this, please wish him the best for me, and tell him that I'm sorry that I never spoke with him before I left. There was so much I had to tell him, and now, I'm afraid I never will be able to."

My soul soared with joy and I looked Cal and managed, "He's _alive_ , Cal. We have to find him!"

Cal took the paper from me, and read the letter before setting it down softly on top of the envelope. His expression hadn't changed since he'd read it, and all the while I waited for him to burst with joy. He never did. Meeting my eyes, he asked Maribel, "Do you know when this was delivered?"

"Based off of how deep in the pile it was, I would have to guess sometime last year." Maribel replied, her eyes sad as she seemed to realize exactly what Cal was hinting at. I felt my smile fall as I realized too, but I refused to be discouraged. "He's alive, Cal. You're uncle is alive. He escaped with Sara, and he wrote this to us-"

"To you, I'd assume he thought I would be dead by the time you got it." Cal corrected as he folded the papers and then held them out to me. I snatched them back and argued, "We have to find him."

"No," Cal replied gently, yet sternly, but I could see how much that word cost him. He was letting go of the last part of his family that probably cared about him. I couldn't bear to let him do that. I couldn't watch as he forced himself to let go of the last person that could be his family.

As he rose from his chair, I grabbed his wrist tightly, bringing his eyes down to me. "Please Cal, if you won't do it, then I will."

He sighed heavily and then reaching out, he moved a single strand of my hair out of my eyes and replied, "We can't. It's too dangerous. Besides, he said so himself that he would be far from here. We can't risk splitting our attention. Maybe when all of this is over he'll come back and we can see each other then, but for now, we can't."

Always the soldier, Cal had the perfect, logical argument. I wished that he would see it my way, but he rarely did, and that's what he said made us such a good pair. We saw different sides to the same coin, and corrected each other willingly over it. It kept us both in check, but sometimes, I wished that he would stop looking at it his way and truly look at it my way. I hung my head, biting my lip to swallow my argument. I felt his fingers slip under my chin, and he lifted it gently, so that I met his eyes. Giving me a hopeful smile, he whispered, "We will see him again someday. I can promise you that, Mare."

I nodded and he caressed my cheek softly before leaning down and pressing a light kiss on top of my hair. I melted a little bit at that. I could understand his point. He wanted to keep focus on our main goal, finish what we had started, so that we could focus on the next hardest thing, rebuilding what we would be forced to destroy.

We had only talked about it in hushed whispers at night, when I was curled up against him. We would talk about everything that was going to happen when he was crowned king once more, what he would change, what small silver families he would bring up to the court to support him, and what Red's would have to be on his council to promote the most efficient change. We had tried to skitter around what would happen to us when all this was over, but it still managed to sneak up on us. When it did, we laughed softly about me being Queen, and truly bringing Elara's wrath from beyond the grave. A Red Queen, we had both laughed, but slowly, that laughter would die out until we both seriously began considering it. After that, the subject was usually dropped, and I would end up wrapped tightly around Cal, as he whispered into my hair that he wasn't planning on letting go of me just because everyone else dictated that he should.

I would sit in silence though. I wasn't worried about him letting go, I knew he never would. What I was afraid of though, was me _not_ letting go. I was a selfish creature, I knew that already, and when it came down to it, I wondered it I could let go of the one thing in my life that was perfect, or if I would cling to it with the desperation of a child. I wondered if we would tear each other to pieces, not by trying to hold on, but by trying to let go.

 _A/N_

 _Hello everyone! I'm back! Well, first off, I want to thank everyone who has already followed and favorited the story. Second off, welcome back everyone who came with us from Red as the Dawn. We're picking up almost one month after RatD left off, and we will be seeing a lot of the other characters really soon. (:_

 _Question time! (OOOOOOOoooo first question for this one.)_

 _ **What are your thoughts so far on what Maven's doing, and what do you think Farley meant by her worries about insubordination? Y'all excited to maybe see Julian again? (He's one of my fav's in Red Queen.)**_


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _(/_ _ **Evangeline**_ _/)_

The door into my prison creaked open without warning, jarring me out of my doze. Curled up on the hard cot, with my back to the door, I couldn't see who it was. The pain in my back from lying on the cold metal bench ran up my spine once more, and I ground my jaw against it. They could not see any weakness, that would only egg them on, give them hope that they'd broken me. I'd show them, though. They'd never see me coming.

"Evangeline, we need to talk."

My body uncoiled unconsciously at the sound of his sigh, and I practically hissed at the reaction. Cal did not deserve any respect from me. I'd hardly bought his pathetic excuse for a story, and now... now, I wasn't so sure what to think anymore. He'd only shown me kindness since they'd brought me blindfolded to wherever here was, and he'd made sure that everyone else did the same. He'd brought me my meals for a week before I'd snapped at him about it. After that, a guard had brought the bowl of mush in and left it by the door.

I rolled over unceremoniously, and sat up, forcing my vision to level after getting up too quickly. I was still ragged and dirty, and I was sure that I looked like I had been dragged through the mud and grime of the red villages. The tattered remains of the outfit I had worn in Delphie hung limply around my frame, and I had pointedly refused any clothing offered by the guards or Cal. My normally soft, clean hair, hung in knots around my head. I'd tried to brush them out with my fingers to no avail. I looked like a mess, a great big, weak mess.

Cal was standing in the doorframe, the weak light behind him forming a halo around him as he blocked most of it out. I squinted at the image, my lips curling into a sneer as I inquired, "What now? Come to interrogate me finally?"

"No, we're moving you." He replied casually as he stepped into the room. Without the backlight, I could actually see his features. I was struck once more by how much older he looked, as if the year he had been away from the court had aged him by a century. Draped across his arm was another set of hideous clothes that I was already opening my mouth to refuse. He stopped me though by throwing them at me, forcing me to divert my attention to catch them.

The shirt was soft cotton, and the pants were simple trousers that looked like they had been freshly sewn. I frowned as I held them up to myself to measure them to my body. They looked like they would fit perfectly. I glanced up at him with a raised brow, hoping to pull an answer for them out of him. I wasn't disappointed.

"Mare's younger sister sewed them for you, much to her protests. And I suggest you wear them, because the other alternative would be to have you walk naked through the compound." He deadpanned before turning his back to give me some resemblance of privacy. I bundled them up though and threw them at the back of his head, hissing under my breath, "I'd rather go naked."

He barely flinched as the clothes hit him and draped over his shoulders and head. I crossed my arms at his lack of an emotional response and leaned back against the hard metal wall. I refused to be lead by them, I wouldn't stoop to their levels, even over something as trivial as clothes.

Pulling the clothes off his head, Cal glanced down at me, his lips turned up in the slightest of smiles as he replied, "I see. Well, it's a pretty long, cold walk back to the bunks you're going to have, and the men around here will not politely turn their eyes away when you walk by."

I felt the heat in my cheeks before I could stop it, and in that moment, I knew that Cal had won. The infuriating part was that he knew he had won, too. He tossed the clothes back to me and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door slightly to give me privacy again. I sneered at the closed door and then rose to pull the grimy clothes I had off.

I tugged the new shirt on, and had to admire how nice it felt to have something other than dirt and dried blood pushing up against my skin. Tugging on the pants, I glanced up at the door upon hearing the rise and fall of voices outside. I left my boots and clothing abandoned on the metal bench, and then stepped out in bare feet, pulling my hair up into a knot at the top of my head to hide the more nasty parts of it.

Standing, leaning up against the wall across from Cal was Shade Barrow. His demeanor still brittle as he looked me up and down. Glancing at my bare feet he raised a brow, but didn't say anything. Shrugging off the wall, he tucked his hands in his pockets, and nodding to Cal he inquired, "You sure this is safe? She's not going to try and kill people, right?"

"I am standing right here you know." I huffed, as I crossed my arms. I felt strangely unsure in front of him, as if he could see through all my meticulous walls down into my core where I had tucked away all my weaknesses. It was an especially unnerving aspect about him. Shade only narrowed his eyes at me and grunted. "So I see."

Then he turned on his heel and started toward the end of the hall. Cal took up pace next to me, his expression strangely reminiscent as he spoke, "You have a cover story by the way, so that no one goes after you."

"Let them, I could take all of them-" I paused as he narrowed his eyes, my voice tapering off to nothing noticing the glaring flaw in my words. Shade had glanced over his shoulder at us, never breaking stride of course, but his expression was stony. It reminded me heavily of the time when he had been a prisoner and Ptolemus and I had tried to extract information from him. He had glared us down like he could light us on fire with his gaze. He had thrown a few rebukes of his own in, and I had privately admitted at the time that knew his way around a biting remark.

"Try to keep those thoughts to yourself, okay, Blondie?" Shade added, as we turned the corner and came to a set of stairs. The nickname was like a bite, and it stung as much as any curse word. I tried to ignore that though, I shouldn't care what these people thought of me, least of all Shade Barrow.

All around me, I could hear the crashing of water, and when I looked to my right and up, I could see a huge cascading waterfall. It tumbled down into a huge pool to the right that was embanked by a dam that we were walking along the top of. The water churned violently below us, and seemed to power some form of generator.

People were walking along the dam on the other side, moving antiparallel to us, their heads bowed as they observed some of the mechanics along the far wall. I watched them curiously for a few moments. I had never been a technology person, I was more interested with the abnormal properties of energized metal. How something with no mind, no blood, no _heart_ , could move something metallic just as well as I could.

We approached another set of stairs and at the bottom, Cal set his hand on my shoulder, forcing us to stop a few paces behind Shade who went to speak with the officer barring our way. I shook his grip off immediately and growled, "Don't expect me to play nice with everyone Calore. I don't play well with others."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that." He replied dryly, his expression not changing a whit, which was more infuriating than if he had responded any other way. I crossed my arms in annoyance, and he sighed before glancing at Shade who was gesturing over to us every so often.

When he looked back at me, his voice was my for my ears only, and there was something strangely soothing about it. "I need you to keep your cover up around here. There are things going on around here, people are starting to get frustrated. A mad crowd is a vicious crowd. Don't give them a reason to hate you, because they will eat you alive."

My expression wavered, and I whispered softly, "Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?"

He cracked a light smile, the first real one I had seen from him. "Because I'm starting to believe in the whole redemption thing, and I guess you could also say that I'm tired of killing people because they don't agree with me." His voice had gotten softer near the end, as if he were afraid to share this little piece of information with me, as if it were a vulnerability. He shook off his mood immediately, and then lowering his head so that only I could hear him. "Your cover story is simple. Mare met you in the palace, and you two became quiet friends, she offered you a position in the guard, and you took it because you love these people," I opened my mouth to protest everything, but the glare he gave me silenced my remark, and with a tired sigh he continued, "During the Archeon siege, the Guard couldn't get to you, but you volunteered to remain as a deep cover spy. We lost contact with you during the time when you married Maven, but you made contact again in Delphie, and actually sent us the floor plans for the plant."

I dug my nails into my arm, trying to bite my tongue and keep my fury to myself. I would have to play the traitor? My stomach turned at the thought, and my mind buzzed with the prospect of what would happen if this story got out to the Court. If it got back to my _brother,_ and my family.

"And what? I'm just supposed to sit around and look pretty while I pretend be something I'm not?" I replied bitterly, as I raised my nose a fraction of an inch. Cal only sighed at my action and then running a tired hand through his unruly hair, he muttered, "Mare and I are working on that right now."

I feel my chest clench in response to her name, and instantly, I pulled back from Cal. If he noticed my reaction, he didn't say anything. I supposed I was grateful for that, but at the same time, I was unnerved by his mask of emotion. It shouldn't have surprised me, I wasn't to be trusted, and he was hiding his thoughts and feelings expertly. I supposed I was just upset because I couldn't get a read on him.

Shade appeared next to us, and nodding over his shoulder, he whispered something to Cal. Sighing, Cal glanced down at me and whispered regretfully, "I'm going to have to leave you with Shade, apparently my presence in requested in command. Shade will have to show you around."

For a moment, I thought Shade was going to throw up. His face paled and his lips puckered like he had tasted something sour. As Cal passed him, he patted his shoulder and ordered, "Take her around to all the big landmarks, and then take her to the training room. Mare can take her from there."

I opened my mouth to protest at that, but Cal had already started up the stairs, taking them two at time. He vanished at the top of the steps, and I had no choice but grumbled my dissent and follow Shade up the stairs. He looked about as upset as I was with the situation, and something about that twisted my stomach with an emotion I didn't recognize.

He refused to turn around as he launched himself up the steps, and I had to sprint to keep up with his long strides. Eventually I managed to maneuver my way next to him, and huffing, I gasped, "Could you slow down? You're practically running."

"How about you speed up? We're on a tight schedule." Shade grumbled, but he still shortened his stride to allow me time to catch up completely. At the top of the stairs, I have no choice, but to stop and stare at the sight before me. They had told us all that the Scarlet Guard was weak, that they had no numbers, that they were foolish terrorist with no organization. We couldn't have been more wrong.

Walking before me was a hive of activity. People rushed left and right, ducking and weaving through the crowd, relaying orders, and marching battalions. Everywhere I looked there were soldiers, men in uniform, women with children who carried banners and wore mock uniforms as they ran around pretending to fight each other. The golden sun of the revolution was stamped everywhere, and it glowed faintly in the dim light.

Glancing above my head, I could see the huge cascade of water that fell from what appeared to be the ceiling of the caravan into the pool below. Along the stone walls were catwalks that stretched across the middle on either side of the water, connecting everything in what looked like a never ending spider's web. The metal around me sang with the memory of hundreds of feet and overuse. It pulsed into my veins, and gave me a melancholy feeling.

Someone's shoulder slammed into mine, and I stumbled as their weight knocked me off balance. I felt Shade catch me, and my eyes burned with fire as I glared down the man who had knocked into me.

Dressed in what looked like fatigues, he was nowhere near imposing. With wild hair, and squirrely features, he looked rather like a child that had never grown up, the kind of kid that I would have beaten into a pulp for fun with Ptolemus. He looked me up and down as well, and when he saw my bare feet, he laughed out loud and gestured to me.

"I see they've let the Silver Queen out of her cell."

The men behind him hissed and booed under their breaths, and seeing their sneers and glares, I felt a cold weight settle in my stomach. They hated me and I hadn't even done anything. The promise I had made to myself, about remaining distant and cool, was washed away in that instant. There were far too many of them for me to fight, far too many to insult, and quite frankly, I was exhausted and didn't feel like dealing with this situation.

I felt Shade's hands grip my arms tighter, and his voice was liked clipped steal as he ordered, "Move, Hector, I'm on a tight schedule."

"Sure you are Shade," murmured one of the men behind Hector, his lips pulling up into a malicious grin as he took me in. It took a moment for me to recognize him, but I would know his tawny hair and lanky outline anywhere. The one who Cal had referred to as Mare's friend down in the cell after the disastrous Scarlet Guard attack. He looked even thinner now, and his complexion was pale with lack of sun. But he still seemed to look bigger, as if someone were inflating him to increase his size.

"Yes, I am Kilorn. So if you would all be so kind as to move, that would be _fantastic_." He nudged me forward, so that I took a hesitant step toward the crowd of men. Among them I could see a few women, who looked older and were covered in battle scars. They sneered at me and one of them reached out, as I passed, to grab the ends of my hair that hadn't made it into the knot, and hissed, "Not so pretty now, huh, your Highness?"

I yanked away from her, and they all laughed as I tried to push my way through them, they all crowded though, and I felt adrenaline lace through my nerves as I straightened up to my full height. Shade stepped to my side, and before I could try and fight them, he grabbed my arm tightly and shoved one of the men out of the way to make room for us. He slipped us through the gap, and glaring back at the men, he narrowed his eyes and commanded, "Quit picking fights you won't win, Hector."

The man only smiled at Shade and motioned for everyone to follow him. They paced after him like a pack of dogs chasing a bone on a string. He led them down a separate corridor, and Shade paused to watch them go. His expression was clouded with worry for a moment, and I glanced at him in curiosity. Hector hardly looked like a problem, he was hardly five foot five. I could have stepped on him if I wanted to.

"He better not be going to interrupt that council meeting." Shade grumbled, before starting off again. I started in surprise, and ran to catch up to him again. As we walked, people glanced at us curiously. Well, probably not Shade, and more me. They looked me up and down, and some even snickered at my bare feet. My face burned with humiliation, and I wished for my boots which I had left in the cell.

Shade gestured down a hallway as we passed it, and when I poked my head around the corner to see down it as we breezed by, he commented, "That's the way to the mess. Down the hall, to the right. To the left is the communal showers and such."

He passed another hallway and waving his hand to it almost dismissively he said, "Down there is the hangar, you won't be going down there anytime soon, so don't worry about it."

As I peeked around that corner, I saw in the faint distance the gleam of something metallic, but my vision was obscured by a mass of red soldiers that exited the tunnel. They moved around Shade and me like we were rocks in the middle of the river. I caught a few snippets of their conversations as they passed.

"New snow today, probably a few feet-"

"Trucks are gonna get stuck-"

"Command is looking into it."

"Heard Hector is saying things again-"

Before I could listen further, Shade had weaved us through the mass and entered a pocket of space. Pointing out another hallway, he explained, "That leads to the barracks for the families and soldiers. I stay down there, third door on the right, if you're ever interested in coming in while I'm sleeping and finishing the job you started."

I huffed in annoyance and replied, "I hardly think that comment was necessary."

He glanced down at me and cracking the first smile I had seen from him, he teased, "So you do have a heart under all those scowls."

My stomach fluttered at the sight of his grin, and I had to shove the feeling down as I crossed my arms and insisted, "No, you're just not worth the time it would take to kill you."

He only grinned, and continued along. This time, he turned down a hallway that was made of rough stone that looked slightly different from the others. Beneath the rock, I could feel the swirling of the metal as it pulsated like a living, breathing heart. It was strangely soothing considering where I was.

We approached a fork in the hallway, and he gestured to my right. "That's the way to Phoenix Legion's quarters. And this," he set his hands on the two double doors and pushing them open continued with a bright smile, "Is where they train."

The doors swung open and grinded on their hinges. As I entered, I glanced at the flag that was hanging above the door. Embroidered on a field or scarlet was a golden phoenix taking flight, its wings spanning across the flag, with a silver crown on its head. It was actually a very beautiful sight, and it inspired a spark of interest in my chest. The symbol was mysterious, and yet understandable at the same time-

"Duck!" Shade shouted as he grabbed my arm and yanked me to the floor. We collapsed in a heap as a fireball shot over our heads and smashed into the far wall. I glanced over my shoulder at the impact site for a moment, and then snapping my head around, I scowled in the direction it had come from.

A young man was standing on top of a raised dais, his hand outstretched with his fingers splayed. He looked absolutely surprised to see us standing there, and it was then that I saw the practice dummies set up around the room. Each had a charred mark created by his target practice.

"Nice shot, Torin," Shade droned as he stood up and then offered me his hand. I glared at it momentarily, debating what it would cost me to take it, and in the end, batted it away. He looked momentarily hurt, until the emotion was tucked under carefully constructed shields. Climbing to my feet, I delivered another glare at the young man who had almost fried us, but when I looked this time, I saw someone else behind him.

Standing in combat training boots, loose training pants, and a tank top, was Mare Barrow. She gave me a grimace of a smile and said, "Sorry about that, we weren't expecting you two to come through the doors then."

She looked beautiful standing there. When I had first seen her, she had seemed so plain and tiny, charred from her battle with a forcefield, but now, she looked like a warrior with the scars to prove it. She stood with a confidence that I had never seen in her, and she seemed to burn like a star as she crossed the dais and jumped down to cross the room to us.

A tiny blonde girl appeared on the other side of the dais, and poking her head over the edge, she tugged on Torin's pants and whispered something up to him. He only shrugged at her question and then turned to look at us curiously. He couldn't have been any older than fourteen, and judging by some of his proportions, he had a lot of growing to do. His caramel skin was a shade darker than Mare's and his hair stuck up in tiny ringlets all around his head.

Behind him, the little blonde girl had climbed onto the platform, and was sitting with her tiny legs tucked underneath her and her hands resting in her lap. Her head was tilted to the side in curiosity and her braid tumbled over her shoulder. The most striking of her features though was her pale eyes, like two oblique glass orbs that could see all the way down to my soul.

I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and at my reaction, she broke into a wide grin. Her cheeks dimpled the slightest bit, and she giggled to herself, before rising to her feet and running after Mare. She almost fell as she leaped off the platform, but she still managed to catch up to the older girl and hide behind her legs shyly.

Mare paused in front of me, and glancing at the girl behind her, she asked, "Maggie, can you watch the training room with Torin while I take our guest to her bunk?"

Maggie puckered her lips at the assignment and then inquired childishly, "Does she have to share a bunk room with me, Torin, and Chelsea? Cause we don't have enough beds in that room, and I don't want to give up my blanket."

Sighing at the girls antics, Mare shooed her away and admonished, "You will share if you're asked," she gave her a little nudge and the girl huffed as she tried to drag her feet against Mare's pushing. Eventually, she gave up though, and with a dramatic sigh that only a child could get away with, she ran back toward the dais and climbed up with the assistance of Torin. They both turned to watch Mare approach me then, their eyes filled to the brim with questions.

Shade dipped his head to his sister and with a smile that could have lit up a room he teased, "Playing mother again?"

"Haven't you learned that I'm always playing mother?" Mare replied with a bitter smile, and behind her eyes I could see a flash of pain at some distant memory. She crossed her arms loosely, apparently rather comfortable in my presence, although I could see her eyes flicking toward me every so often while she and Shade discussed something to do with shipments. Every time she did glance at me, I felt a smug smile tug at the corner of my lips, so the little lightning girl was afraid of me still, good, she should be.

Eventually, she turned her entire attention from Shade to me, and gesturing for me to follow her, she started out the training room. I turned on my heel to follow her, and glanced over my shoulder at Shade who had turned to speak with a petite redhead that had entered the room. She smiled at him lightly and punched his arm teasingly when he said something to her. I felt the burn of some dark emotion in my stomach and forced myself to look away as I quickened my stride to catch up to Mare.

She led me down a short, damp hallway and then through a doorway that had a curtain draped over it to seperate the next area from the hallway. We rounded a bend and over her shoulder Mare questioned, "Has Cal spoken to you about Phoenix Legion yet?"

"No, and I don't plan on joining your little legion of children." I snipped back at her. She only narrowed her eyes and fell silent as we rounded what appeared to be the final corner.

The space we entered was a large cavern of sorts, with makeshift furniture and a huge bucket of water in the middle. An middle aged woman was sitting behind it, washing clothes when we entered. She had a mass of long, dark hair that fell to the middle of her back in a long thick braid. Her skin was a golden honey color, and judging by the rough skin of her hands, she had always been working with them. A small basket next to her rang with the sound of a rattle, and I heard a chortling babies laugh come from it.

The woman looked up as we entered and smiled at Mare, her expression guarded as she took me in over her shoulder. The baby let out another high pitched peal of laughter and she turned her attention to it to say, "I think he might be like you chica, he always gets so happy when you enter the room." Her voice was heavy with an accent that I couldn't quite place, and it made her words hard to understand.

Mare only laughed in response to her, and crossed the open space to peer into the blankets in the basket, leaving me alone in the entry way. Crouching down she held out her finger to the baby and let it grab on before gesturing to the woman. "Evangeline, this is Isabella, she just joined us recently with her son Gabriel. Isabella, this is Evangeline Samos, she'll be staying with us for the time being."

Isabella looked me over for a moment with big, dark eyes, before bowing her head respectfully and whispering, "I would present myself to you, but I'm afraid I'm a little tied up with laundry right now."

Mare grimaced openly at her words, and then biting her lip to hide it, she spoke into the awkward silence. "Isabella is a teleporter like Shade."

Glancing up to see my reaction the woman nodded and then immediately looked back down at her hands and the shirt she was washing. The tension in the room spiked and I clenched my fists against it. She hated me, and she didn't even know me yet. Her gaze hid her disgust, but there was no denying it, Isabella was not a fan of me.

Sensing the awkward tension in the room, Mare rose again and said, "Well, we'll get out of your hair Iz, Cal should be back soon with Maggie and the others."

"Did you eat breakfast chica?"

"Yes Iz."  
She sighed and then looking up at Mare like a worried parent she whispered, "Dios, You and Cal honestly make me look like your mother. You two are so busy training and working, I feel like I have to spoon feed you two or you'll starve."

"Oh don't be so dramatic Iz. I ate this morning and I brought Cal something from the mess." Mare replied as she waved Isabella's comment off. But the older woman only laughed and replied, "Ah sí, so that's what the full bowl of breakfast was in the training room this morning."

"Hey, just because I brought it doesn't mean he'll eat it." Mare chided as she beckoned me down another hallway. Isabella laughed and shouted at Mare as she left, "Aye chica, ayudame con él!"

"I am!" Mare shouted back with a laugh as we entered the hallway. Glancing over her shoulder at me, she said, "Isabella is not from Norta. She was sent here while she was pregnant. She talks like that sometimes, you'll pick it up eventually. Cal's still learning, which means she can call him a moron without him knowing."

"How old is her baby?" I inquired, ignoring her previous comment, I'm sure I wouldn't know if she called me a number of things that were worse than moron. I was genuinely curious about her baby though. It wasn't rare to hear stories like Isabella's, where women were shipped out as slaves and brought in to work on projects. They were actually commonplace in Norta, and in the Silver palace they were ever more common. My own mother had bought seven of them to serve one of our summer homes. At the thought of the warm mahogany walls that gleamed in the sunlight, and grand spacious rooms that always seemed to smell like lavender, my heart clenched in misery. I missed my home, and my family, whether it was a weakness or not. I was an eighteen year old girl who had been married off to a monster masquerading as a man, and then thrown from the only safe haven I had even known into this pit of misery.

Mare's smile seemed to freeze for a moment at my question, as if she was debating about giving me the answer, and in the end she shrugged and replied, "Young, he was born early."

I clenched my jaw at her avoidance, forcing my nostalgia down, so that the anger building up in the pit of my stomach had room to fester. I felt some of it ebb away though as I dwelled on her response. She had every right not to trust me. Although Cal appeared to trust my word, it didn't strike me as surprising that Mare would need some serious convincing before she trusted me with anything. I watched her back as she pointed out the rooms to me, who was staying where, and such. The only thing that threw me off was that she and Cal slept separately from the others… together.

"You two are close then?" I asked quietly, and to her credit, Mare tried to appear unaffected, but her stride still faltered as we approached the last room. I almost missed her reply as she opened the door. "You could say that."

Pushing open the old metal slab, she gestured inside and whispered, "I know it's not the best accommodations, but this is the best we have."

The room was tiny, almost closet like, and the smell made me wrinkle my nose. Maybe my cell would have been better. The walls were damp with condensation, and as I stepped in the room, I felt the chill seep into my bones. On the bright side, if there was one, if the reds didn't kill me first then the cold would do it while I slept.

"Cal's going to work on turn off the ventilation in here. It was originally supposed to be a storage room, but we figured you would probably want to be alone while you slept." Mare offered behind me, trying to be sincere, as she leaned against the doorframe. I didn't even glance back at her as I asked, "Is there another option?"

She was silent, and when I glanced back her, she was smiling sympathetically. Seeing my eyes on her, she shook her head. The motion was so small that I almost missed it, but I caught the meaning none-the-less. Turning away from her again, I heaved in a ragged breath through my nose and then murmured, "Of course."

"Evangeline," Mare paused as I flipped around to glare at her, but she gathered her courage quickly and continued, "I know that all of this is… confining, and I'm sorry about that. But if you need anything, or you just need someone to talk to... I've been where you are."

I saw how much it cost her to say that, to draw on those memories from a year ago. Only a year, I thought bitterly, what a difference a year could make. She had gone from rags to riches, and back again, and I had joined her. As much as I wanted to commiserate with her, to allow myself an ally, I couldn't bear to let it be her. It was her fault that all of this had happened, that I had lost my title, and the future I had been promised after my Queenstrial.

I turned away from her again, but I still heard the heavy sigh that escaped her as she left the doorway. The door closed as she left, and as she did, I heard the cooling system shut off. At least something had finally started going right for me.

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I knocked lightly on the railing at the top of the stairs that led to the council's meeting room, hoping not to startle Cal who was sitting alone and looking through mounds of paperwork. His head was propped up with his hand, and his fingers were knotted into his hair, while he flipped the pages over and wrote things down on another sheet of paper.

He glanced up momentarily to see who was trying to get his attention, and I gave him a light smile as I stepped completely into the room. He only nodded to acknowledge me and then immediately looked back down at his work. In that glance, I could see the dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and the strain in his eyes from looking at the papers for so long.

I remained in the doorway for a few seconds, uncertain about entering. Eventually, I crossed the room and sat on the table, only a small reach away from him. Pulling some of the papers toward me, I flipped through them and then spoke lightheartedly, "Maggie's requesting you, she says she wants to hear a story."

He sighed, the only sign that he had heard me, and continued to scribble numbers down. I set the paper's down lightly, having not even looked at them. They were just lists of troop shipments, followed by supply lists, mixed in with notes that Farley and Cal had made together. Reaching out then, I ran my fingers softly through his hair and down to his neck where I could feel his muscle straining from sitting in the same position for so long. He seemed to loosen under my touch, and I smiled as I cajoled, "I think it would be a good break for you."

"I can't Mare, I have to get this-"

"You skipped dinner again, and Isabella threatened to drag you out of this room herself if you miss tomorrow night. She says you're losing too much weight." I interrupted sternly, trying to get both Isabella's worries and my own across at the same time. He only glared up at me, but there was no genuine fire behind the stare, and eventually he dropped it and sank back into his chair. I saw his shoulders slump, and my heart clenched as he ran tired hands down his face and murmured, "She would, too."

His comment did draw a smile as I pictured a five foot four Isabella dragging Cal by his feet into the mess hall. Cal apparently didn't share my enthusiasm, as he sighed heavily again and then glanced down at the papers. "There's a whole regiment missing, a whole twenty men and women, unaccounted for, essentially missing."

"What?" I cried in surprise, and immediately, I lowered my voice as I noticed how loud I had said that. Regiments didn't just go missing, something must have happened. I shifted and stretched my neck to see if anyone in the tech pit had noticed my outburst, but no one appeared to be paying any attention to us, but I still lowered my head and whispered nonetheless, "But I thought all the regiments checked in yesterday before the storm."

Cal's eyes narrowed as he turned the paper he had been looking at over and handed it to me. I snatched it out of his hands and began to pour over it as he spoke, "So did I, but while I was doing the numbers today, I realized they were missing. Someone checked them in, but they aren't actually here."

"You sent someone to the barracks to look for them, right?" I asked softly as I noticed the discrepancy in the numbers as well. Cal didn't respond and when I glanced down at him, I saw that his brow was raised and his lips were pulled into a tight line. "No Mare, I just decided to ignore the problem. Of course I sent someone to account for them, but they weren't there."

I set the paper down quietly and chewed on my lower lip to avoid my next question, but Cal always knew when I had a question, and he always demanded that I ask it, no matter how stupid it might have seemed. He took my hand in his and running his thumb softly along the top of my hand, he demanded, "Out with it, Barrow, I see the gears turning in your head."

Sighing, I glanced back at the papers and then inquired, "Could we have miscounted?"

"I doubt it, I went through the numbers ten times, and then ran them up against last week's dispatches, and there's no discrepancy." His jaw tightened as he finished his statement and shuffled his papers out of reach. My stomach turned as I realized what that could mean. We had been confined to the compound to wait out the major storm cell that had come through, and if people were missing, they could be stuck out in the storm, or they could be trying to contact us through channels that had been shut down. Maribel had been working for days to try and get a signal from some of the operatives she had placed in Delphie, but nothing could come through with the storms interference. We were essentially blind, and being blind was not something Farley liked being. She practically paced the compound like a caged animal, and even Cal assuring her that Maven wouldn't try anything with the storm couldn't calm her.

"There's nothing we can do though, if they're stuck out there, they're stuck out there. What bothering me is that they were checked in." Cal sighed as he stood up and stretched unceremoniously, the hem of his shirt lifting to show how tightly he had his belt pulled. I crossed my arms and turned away, trying to ignore how thin he was getting. It worried me to no end, and it scared me that he was too busy to notice it.

He glanced back at me curiously upon noticing my reaction, as if he were about to ask me what the problem was, but he shrugged slightly instead and apparently decided to ignore it. Running his hand through his hair and leaning down to press a light kiss on my hair line, he murmured, "Is Evangeline settled in?"

I nodded and turned my head to let my lips brush against his, and inhaling the scent of wood and burning pine, I whispered, "Yeah, struggling to get comfortable, but settling in."

He nodded, and his hand snaked up to push some of the loose strands of my hair out of my face. Replicating my previous light touch, he whispered against my lips, "And you?"

"I'm fine Cal," I replied with a light smile as I cupped the back of his neck softly and ran my thumb along his hairline. His eyes dropped slowly to stare at our interlocked fingers in my lap, and sighing softly he murmured once more, "I'm asking about what you think of her."

For a moment I was taken aback but his comment, and then with a shrug to hide my reaction, I replied hesitantly, "I mean… I'm not sure what to think? She just seems really bitter, and she sort of thinks everyone's out to get her right now. She practically bit my head off when I offered her extra blankets."

He laughed softly, and pulled away from me, his eyes narrowing playfully as he teased, "And you did offer them _politely_ , right?"

I crossed my arms in defense to his accusation and replied stiffly, "Of course, what do you take me for?"

He laughed again at my response, and then gathered up the papers to shove them into their books for storage. I felt my anger fade, and with a smile, I leaped off the table as he went to leave, and wrapped my arms around his. I buried my face in his sleeve and inhaled his scent as we descended the stairs into the tech pit.

At the bottom of the steps, I broke free from Cal, and walking backwards so I was looking at him, I teased, "Am I going to have to drag you to bed so you can sleep-"

I slammed into someone as I was backstepping, and Cal leaped forward to catch me as I let out a cry of surprise and almost fell forward at the sudden stop in my momentum. Whoever I had run into let out a grunt at the impact, and I flipped around to apologize to who it was. My apology died in my throat though, and I ended up gaping like a fish.

Glaring down at me like I was a bug he had stepped on, was a man that was at the least Cal's height, but was still twice his size around. I stumbled into Cal, who wrapped a protective hand around my arm to steady me. The man glared me down and then growled, "You should watch where you're going," and then, as if he were sharing a private joke, he laughed, "I almost stepped on you little lightning girl."

I bristled at his use of the nickname and rose to my full height to spit, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't paying attention."

"Then maybe you should pay more attention to where you're going and not you little silver boyfriend." He sneered as he took a step closer to me and overshadowed me. I pressed back against Cal who stiffened behind me and squared his shoulders at the man's tone.

The man's hard black eyes shifted from me to Cal, and smiling crookedly, he whispered, "I figured a girl with as much power as you doesn't need a silver bodyguard. How about you tell your guard dog to sit and let you fight your own battles?"

"He's not my guard dog," I hissed threateningly as I yanked my arm from Cal's grip, and spit, "And I said I was sorry, what more do you want?"  
"Ah, I see you've met our resident miracle couple, Seth." Hector's reedy voice piped as he stepped up behind Seth and shot Cal and me a cold glare. Patting the bigger man's arm, Hector's features melted into a delightful grin as he inquired, "Doing some late night work Calore?"

I felt the temperature behind me rise as Cal stepped forward to stand next to me and reply, "I was about to ask you the same thing."  
I saw the barest flicker of panic run through Hector's eyes before he shifted his weight onto his back foot and glanced up at Seth. "I was just showing our new member around. Seth had joined us from down south."

"Fantastic, but I see no need for him to be in the command room." Cal stated, the order to leave implied heavily as he stepped forward to glare down at Hector, who shrank a few inches under Cal's burning glare. I felt the barest of smiles creep to my lips at the sight. Before I could start walking again though, Seth grabbed Cal's arm in a tight grip and spun him around to face him. With a tight grin he threatened, "I suggest you back off _princie_ , you're walking on unstable ground."  
To Seth's disappointment, Cal stood his ground and merely narrowed his eyes in response. Letting go of Cal's arm, Seth stepped through him, forcing Cal to the side with his shoulder. Hector scuttled after him, like a fish in the shadow of a shark, and gave Cal a sneer as he went. I turned to watch them pace through the tech pit, and just as I was about to storm over and give Hector a serious piece of my mind, Cal grabbed my arm to stop me. When I glanced back at him, he shook his head, as if to tell me it wasn't worth it, and then wrapped his arm lightly around my waist and led me out of the command.

Something picked at the back of my mind though, since when had Hector started recruiting? He wasn't in that department. He was in weapons shipments, at least, that's what I thought he was in. I could be wrong though, I had been wrong before.

 _A/N_

 _Alright chapter 2! We've introduced to some new characters, and oh my god, we have an Evangeline pov (I'm extremely proud of it too)?! Okay, so this took me a while to put out, sorry. I had finals, and then I had lots of homework and tests because being a senior sucks. ):_

 _I'm going to try really hard to have the next chapter out a lot sooner though._

 _ **Question time!**_

 _Did you guys like the Evangeline pov? Was it good, or am I completely off with her character?_

 _ **ALSO:**_

 _ **Would you guys be up for a Red as the Dawn Tumblr Blog? I would post little snippet things (like parts of chapters from other characters povs, and even extra parts), some pics so you guys can see characters, and if I'm feeling really nice I'll post secret chapters and moments that I deleted (lol, bonus features). Just comment if you would be up for that, if I get enough people to say yes, I'll make one and ya'll can follow it. (:**_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

I sat at the table in the mess hall, alone, a chipped cup of cold coffee sitting in front of me, the black liquid staring me in the face. It tasted like tree bark, per usual, and nothing was going to change that. Resting my head in my hands, I inhaled deeply and then pushed the drowsiness down, I needed to be awake for this meeting. It was going to be a hard one, and a long one judging by the itinerary Farley had shoved into my hand last night. There was a lot to cover, and I was bone tired.

I hadn't slept well last night, and neither had Mare. She'd tossed and turned for a few hours, before finally settling in and dozing off. I had laid awake though, looking at the ceiling, just listening to the soft sound of air entering and leaving her body. It was calming, soothing even, just to know that she was there, alive and well. Eventually I had been able to slip into a doze as well, until Mare had rolled over and pressed herself up against my side. She normally wasn't demanding when she slept, but last night, she had clutched my arm like I would vanish if she didn't hold on tight enough.

The chair opposite of me scraped against the ground and I glanced up from my musing to see Evangeline sink down into it slowly. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid and she seemed to have located a gray shawl that she had draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were as tired as my own, and behind her irises, I could see the nightmares that haunted me as well.

"What brings you in here so early? It can't be the coffee." I deadpanned, trying to end the prickling silence between us. Chuckling at my own joke, I brought my cup up and took a long drink and tried to swallow quickly to avoid the taste. When I glanced back at her, I saw that my teasing had fallen on deaf ears. She didn't look the least bit amused, or interested in playing games for that matter.

Shifting under her steel gaze, I set the cup back down and tried to hide my discomfort by leaning back in my chair. Seeing my movement, her eyes dropped immediately to her hand which was clutching the edges of her shawl to the point of almost ripping it. We sat in silence after that, the two of us struggling to come to terms with the situation we were in. Not that I blamed her, I had been in a similar state after the Guard had picked me up. I had been bitter and angry with the world, but the way I had seen it, I could have either took the cards fate dealt me and learned to play the game, or I could have folded and hoped the next hand was better. Evangeline was not the kind to fold, unless she had changed more than I thought. A year could make a hell of a difference in a person, and if I wasn't proof of that, then I wasn't sure what was.

Eventually she sighed, grabbed my cup, and then scrunching up her nose at the smell, she took a deep drink as well. She gagged as she swallowed and I watched her slam the chipped thing back on the table, almost shattering it. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then whispered, "How do you put up with this place?"

I could hear the gravity in her tone, the fine line that she was walking. Evangeline was walking along the edge of a glass bowl, the edges cutting her feet and threatening to shatter at the slightest misstep. I had been in a similar position, and sometimes, I felt like I never actually left it. Shrugging at her question though, I pulled the cup back toward me and ran my thumb along the side of it. "You learn to shoulder reality and bear it."

"I don't want to bear any more reality than I already have, I want to go home." She hissed, her dark eyes latching onto mine as she leaned forward, like a cat about to pounce. I sat a little straighter, calling on my bearing as a general and prince in her mind to deliver my next words carefully. "And you think I don't?"

She stiffened in response, and bowing her head again, tried to hide her expression from me. I softened my voice immediately and sighing, I ran a tired hand down my face and whispered, "I want to go home as much as you, but it's not happening. You'll have to accept that like I have."

Raising her eyes to meet mine, she leaned away from me, and her demeanor changed completely. For once, Evangeline looked defeated. "These people hate me, they spit at me as I walk by, and they growl insults. It's easy for you to bear in your position, everyone here thinks you're a hero."

"They didn't always think that." I whispered as I looked down at my cup again and remembered the first volatile months with the guard. It had been a long, hard road to where I was now, and every day it seemed I was going back the way I had come. With Hector running around under my nose whispering doubts in people's ears, and people actually starting to believe him, it was becoming difficult to rally the guard to the council's ideas. Today would be just another battle against the splintering, another day walking around the camps trying to keep moral up when my own was starting to dip. I didn't want to think that had anything to do with my lack of sleep. I couldn't let people see how tired I was. If they saw that one of the people in charge was running out of ideas, they would riot, they would fall apart, and I couldn't let that happen when we had come so far. Maybe we had run before we could walk though, maybe we had taken more than we were ready for, and that was why we were splintering like this now.

Evangeline set her head in her hand and massaging the bridge of her nose, she murmured something incoherently before stating clearly, "I need to feel like I'm doing something while I'm here. I refuse to just sit around."

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips, there was the Samos girl that I remembered. She saw my half smile, and tilting her head to the side she growled, "And I don't want any games anymore. I want in on your damn crusade, if it means that I get out clean."

"Of course," I replied as I leaned back in my chair comfortably. I had been waiting for this for almost two weeks. My exhaustion evaporated as everything finally started falling into place. I had needed Evangeline to come to this conclusion on her own, to demand a position in the Guard. I could never make her ask for that, if I did, then she would buck and refuse, but this, this was what I needed from her. I watched her grab the mug again, and gripping it tightly in her hands she mumbled, "And I want to train, I don't want to get rusty."

I shrugged, as if I had assumed such, and although my exterior was neutral, internally, I was celebrating this turn of events. Finally we would have a clean source of information. Evangeline would have the latest in what was going on in court, and what Maven was up to, making the information she had top priority at the moment.

She glared down at the contents of the cup, as if she could sense my elation, and her reaction only made me smile. She would be reluctant to share what she knew, just like I had been, but eventually, she would see the truth just like I did. That the guard wasn't a bunch of terrorists bent on raising hell, and was actually just a group of people that refused to be subjected to their chains anymore.

Rising from my chair slowly, I gestured to the cup and said, "You can have the rest of that, you're going to need it more than I will today."

Her expression switched instantaneously and I had to smile again. The games were beginning again, and finally, I had a piece against Maven. I needed to combat him, I had to bring him in quietly if I wanted to get Farley everything she wanted with the least amount of damage possible. If Maven was taken down in the dark where no one could see, then there was a smaller chance of their being resistance, and by default, a smaller chance of more death. My goal was to institute a mixed council, to get Farley the voice she demanded, and deserved, but to keep the Silver's soothed. The last thing I wanted to do was ruffle their feathers too much. I would still need them to stay in line if I wanted to remain on the throne.

She set the cup down quickly and leaped up to follow me. As we left the mess hall, and entered the massive central way, Evangeline paced next to me and inquired softly, "They are going to crown you if they win right?"

"I told them a long time ago that they either gave me the crown or I left, why?"

She smirked, and then with a light shrug replied, "I want to make sure I'm giving lip service to the right person."

I stopped for a moment, startled by her comment, and then broke out laughing at the implication it carried with it. At my reaction, Evangeline cracked a genuine smile as well, and then laughed lightly. We continued on again, having finally shattered the fractured glass between us. It was surprisingly nice to have that cleared, like sunshine after a very long rain storm. As much as I had detested spending time with Evangeline when I was in the palace, it was nice to have someone who knew me like she did. It was like opening a door into the past that I thought had been lost forever.

I walked her back to the legion's barracks, and as we passed the main barracks, I saw Shade walking toward us with an air of purpose from the other direction. Next to me, Evangeline faltered in her stride, and seemed to try and shrink herself next to me. I glanced at her curiously as she tried to hide herself behind me, but Shade had already seen her, and his gaze had immediately turned icy. It dawned on me that putting the two of them in any form of conversation was a bad idea, considering their slight history. As this occurred to me, Shade approached, much more cautiously than before, and stated, "Farley wants you and Mare to do rounds today. She says the little ones need a lift today."

Sighing at the extra weight on my schedule, I glanced at Evangeline who had taken a half step back to hide further, and then did a double take when Shade's shoulders tensed further. The two of them looked like two wolves about to leap at each other's throats. I would have to talk with Shade then, calm him down, keep him off of Evangeline's case. She needed time to settle, and he needed time to put what had happened between them into perspective.

Still, I smiled at the opportunity I had unknowingly been presented with. I nudged Evangeline and stated casually, "Why don't you go in my place? You and Mare can go together and you can start working on that public image we talked about."

Shade bristled at the comment, and then glaring at Evangeline who stepped out from behind me to glare at me, he murmured, "I don't think you should suggest that, Farley won't-"

"Farley wants to do whatever she can to satiate the people, what better way than to show them that there are more like me? It would appear as if more people care about them, that there are more people that want to see them succeed." I replied with a dip of my head. In a way, it was true, and I stiffened internally at the thought of how true it was. Since when had the truth started bleeding into a lie like that? Evangeline didn't care about these people, she just wanted to get herself through this in once piece. But she had been playing illusionary games since the time that she could talk, she could make it look like she cared. This would be child's play compared to the things she used to do.

Shade seemed to read my thoughts, because he sneered and growled, "She doesn't care about them, she's no different than the rest of them-"

"How would you know? You don't know me at all." Evangeline snipped, and Shade started in surprise, like she had slashed at him with a knife again. His hands twitched into fists at his sides as he recovered quickly to reply "I think out of everyone in this compound, I would know what kind of person you are."

Evangeline pulled back like she had been slapped, and I saw her facade crumble spectacularly as she turned away to hide her reaction to Shade's comment. Mare's brother straightened up and narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her reaction, he growled, "If she goes in your place, then someone will have to go with Mare and her, I refuse for her to alone with with my sister."

I nodded once more, and Evangeline didn't give any sign of protest at my side. Apparently she had fought her battle with Shade, and was reassessing whether or not she wanted to fight the next one.

(/Evangeline/)

A few hours after my disastrous run in with Shade Barrow, and after I had been subject to my first morning with Phoenix Legion, I was being escorted by Shade Barrow to the main barracks with his sister, who seemed to be in an unnaturally good mood considering what she had to deal with during the morning. I had found out early that Mare had taken on a motherly role with the little blonde girl who was named Maggie, and Cal had joined her in a similar parenting role. They got the girl ready in the morning, even though she ran around like a wild banshee shrieking and hollering about something or another, took her to breakfast together along with the whole legion, and then went their separate ways. I had caught them standing outside of the mess together. Mare with her arms wrapped around his middle, and her face buried in his shirt. While Cal had his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders hugging her to him while he laid his head on hers. They had whispered to eachother softly, before he had pressed a light kiss on her hairline and left for the meeting he had. Mare had clutched his fingers, and then let them slip out of her hand, like letting water run through her fingers.

The whole Legion had the pitiful air of a family trying to hold onto the last fragments of normalcy, but I could see the chinks in their armor. They were barely holding together, and it wouldn't be long before they fell apart. Even Mare and Cal had some cracks, but they tried to hide them, tried cover them up, even from each other.

As I followed Shade through the main concourse, I watched him speak softly with his sister, the two of them bowing their heads away from me to keep their conversation to themselves. They appeared to be discussing something important, because Shade nodded gravely every time Mare said something. We passed through the main doorway into the barrack where the families were staying, and the minute we entered, there was a great cry and a group of young girls came running straight at Mare who plastered a smile on her face and crouched down to embrace every single one of them. They all twittered like little birds around her, and some of them even ran to Shade who picked the smallest one up and set her on his shoulders. They all seemed so excited to see them, as if they were heroes come to save them, then again, they were heroes to these people.

I tried to stay at the back, unnoticed, and for once, I blended into the background enough that no one saw me. As soon as all the girls had been greeted, one of them grabbed Mare's hand and began to tug her toward one of the rooms, her face bright as she chattered about something. Shade glanced back at me as they walked, and with a twist of his lips, like he had tasted something sour, he nodded for me to follow. I slipped after him, trying to remain inconspicuous, and succeeding for the most part. Only a few of the mothers had taken notice of me, and had turned to each other to whisper as I passed. I followed Mare into a small room which was filled with children who were all screaming and running after each other. I flinched at the sound, and tried to hide my reaction. I had never liked kids, they were annoying and a pain to deal with. When Elara had told me that a healer had told her that I was barren, I had almost sighed in relief. I had never wanted to be a mother, and if I had become one, it wasn't like I would have had a particularly good model to go off of.

As soon as we entered, the room fell to silence, before the boys let out a cry and ran at Shade who almost toppled over under them. Shade let out a laugh and then a gasp as one of the boys landed on his stomach and pushed all of the air out of his body. Now Shade, he would have no problem with kids, that much I could see. They all adored him, practically climbing on top of him and crying for his attention.

Mare shooed the little girl with her away, and stepping next to me, she whispered, "Cal mentioned to me what you two talked about. The easiest way to the populace it through their kids. If the kids trust you, their parents will too."

I shifted uncomfortably and tugged on the hem of my shirt to hid my uncertainty. "I'm not very good with kids." At least it wasn't a lie. It felt nice to not lie anymore, to just get the truth off my chest without being judged for it.

"They really aren't that difficult and I wasn't really one for them either. Just talk to them like you would anyone else, and let them do what they want." She replied as her head tilted to the side and she offered me a small, genuine smile. As her head tilted, her hair fell away to reveal the edge of a thick scar peeking out from underneath the strap of her tank top. I narrowed my eyes at it, and Mare glanced down at it, causing her hair to fall in front of it again. Averting my eyes to hide my stare, I nodded and thanked her for the advice. With a light shrug, she turned and picked her way through the children to sit on the floor where a group of them ran to her and began to jabber at her again. She laughed at their antics and then let a little boy settle in her lap and play with the necklace around her neck. I hadn't noticed it before, and I couldn't make it out from my position by the door.

I swallowed heavily around the knife in my throat and then settled down near her, causing a few of the children to look at me curiously. None of them paid me much attention, instead they all turned their eyes back to Mare and began to ask her to tell them a story. I let my shoulders slump in relief at the fact that I had gone unnoticed by everyone. Or so I had thought. Everyone had turned to Mare, except for a young girl who couldn't have been older than six. She crawled her way over to me, and reaching out a tentative hand she whispered, "You have really pretty hair."

At her words, all the girls turned to look at me, and I flinched away from their gazes suspiciously. Without warning, the girl climbed to her feet and reached out for my hair, and I stiffened as she grabbed a fistful of it and whispered, "Can I play with your hair?"

Mare glanced over at me, and under her expectant gaze, I forced tensed muscles to loosen, and then murmured, "I suppose, just don't-"

She had leaped into action before I could finish, her fingers combing my hair and plaiting it with nimble fingers. I was shocked at her practiced movements and before I knew it, I had another little girl come over and ask to join her friend. I let her, and she let out a tiny squeal of excitement before leaping behind me and combing the strands the other one had missed into smaller braids. As they worked they whispered excitedly between them, and nudged each other, until the first girl leaned down and asked hesitantly, "Are you a princess?"

Mare's eyes snapped up and, I stiffened in fear again. I looked to her for confirmation and she chewed on his lip for a moment before nodding carefully and returning her attention to the little boy who was demanding it by tugging on her necklace again. I blew out a heavy sigh thought my nose and then replied to the girl, "I was."

They stopped braiding my hair for a moment, and before I could continue speaking, they had planted themselves in front of me, with eyes as big as saucers. One of them bounced up and down slightly as she asked, "What was it like-"

"Did you have a princess crown-"

"Did you go to balls, and dance with princes?"

I opened my mouth to respond but found that my brain had gone numb to their questions and the responses for them. They continued to ask more, not noticing my panic, their expressions filled with awe as they rambled. Eventually, Mare reached out, and touching one of the girls on the back to stop her, she whispered, "How about you ask one question at a time Eliza, and maybe say, please Evangeline?"

Nodding softly, Eliza tugged on her friends braid to silence her and then turning to me, she smiled shyly and asked, "What was it like to be a princess, please?"

All the other children seemed to have noticed the commotion and began to make their way over, one little girl dragging a raggedy stuffed bear behind her as she settled onto the other side of Mare. Shade sat down near his sister, having followed the herd of children, and a little boy leaned against him. Everyone's eyes were on me, expectant and yet, not demanding.

Taking a deep breath, I tucked a stubborn hair behind my ear and began, "Well, it's, it's not all that the stories make it out to be."

"Do you get to wear a crown?" One girl asked as she pulled on Mare's sleeve. "Mare said that she wore a crown once."

"Mare wore a tiara," I corrected, and the bit my tongue to stop the biting tone from escaping, before continuing, "And that's because she was betrothed to the Prince, and not the Crown Prince."

"Were you betrod to the Crown Prince?" A little boy asked, his eyes wide as he turned to Shade and asked, "What's a crown prince anyway?"

"He's the first son and would be king someday." Shade answered before nodding to me and saying, "Evangeline would know more than me."

I shifted under his gaze, and then nodded softly and continued, "Yes, I was betrothed to the Crown Prince. It is a great honor to be that, because that means I would be queen someday."

"Wait! Cal's the Crown Prince, and he and Mare are together!" One of the boys accused as he leaped to his feet and pointed at me, "She's here to make them not together!"

"No Trevor, Evangeline isn't here to do that. She's here to help us." Mare corrected as she forced him to sit down again. "And it's very rude to shout at people like that."

I smiled at her gratefully, and my insides turned immediately at that, since when was I grateful for anything Mare Barrow did? I tried to shake of my unease, and I found that it dropped away quickly, like fog rolling out over the ocean.

I settled in to be more comfortable and then began to answer more of the questions. Strangely, the more I answered them, the more comfortable I became with the loss of my title and position. It had been such a pretentious thing, and I hadn't wanted to marry Cal anyway. I had only wanted the crown, and the more I told the children about it, the more I felt guilty for that, the more I wanted to never see that gleaming palace again. It had been like a gilded cage, where I was a pompous overdressed bird that was paraded around for show. Hardly the position I had thought it was.

After I had spoken for a while, I stopped noticing the eyes of everyone, and just slipped into the past, into golden halls, and grand festivals, with sparkling jewels, and dresses. But I couldn't shake the feeling of Shade's gaze, and when I would meet his dark eyes, I couldn't help feeling that he was only person weighing my words, putting them up to me and trying to actually know how they fit together. Even if we were on the same side for now, he was still piecing me together like an enemy. I couldn't blame him for that either. I wasn't even sure that these people could trust me, and he had every reason to not. I could still remember those long nights in the tent, the sound of his shouts as he battled tooth and nail to keep from giving us information. He had been like a brand on me after that, and even when I returned to the palace, his eyes had haunted my dreams. I had never been guilty for trying to get information, but something had changed with Shade, and I was terrified about what that change meant.

(/Shade/)

I saw Cal leave the command center late, as usual. He was walking alone, and he looked worse than I felt. His skin was paler than usual, and his eyes had dark purple, almost black, circles under them. He met my eye and then slowed his pace so that I could push off from where I had been leaning against a beam and join him. We walked in companionable silence for a few seconds, the two of us chewing on our words before we said them. Eventually, as we passed a group of young men running their circuits around the compound, I asked, "How was that meeting earlier?"

I had been giving special leave from it so that I could join Mare and keep an eye on Evangeline Samos who looked like she was actually starting to settle in. The thought of her being a permanent resident in the compound sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine though. She was the last person I wanted to see first thing in the morning. I wanted to ask him about her, get his opinion on everything, but the thought escaped me. Cal didn't appear to trust her, at least, not really. He had only expressed to Mare that she was finally starting to play along and that things were starting to work out the way he had predicted. I just hoped that he wasn't wrong, that she was a little bit defeated, and a little more compliant. I didn't want to wake up with a sneering Silver girl on top of me, with a knife above her head, about to finish the job she started.

"Same as always, everyone bickering about the same things, arguing about who should be blamed, so on and so forth." He sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair. "We bought up the missing group today."

I raised a brow in interest, and glanced at him expectantly. He handed his notes from the meeting to me, and I flipped through them earnestly. I scanned what had been said about the supply lines running dry, which I was glad to see that we would be fixing as soon as the storm lifted, about pushing a little more funding into Phoenix Legion, and about Cal requesting to go out and collect more newbloods with Mare. On the last page, the notes on the missing group merely said that they would be looked into, but it was nothing to be really worried about.

I scoffed at that and handing the papers back to him, I growled, "No one thought it was strange that people are just missing?"

"Oh no, people thought it was strange, to the point that they actually began shouting and demanding that we figure it out now, but Hector spoke up and told everyone that it was probably an error in my records. I didn't even have a chance to defend myself."

I sneered, not bothering to hide my disgust at the thought, and handed him his notes before shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket. "Why's he even on the council again anyway? He lost his privilege when he tried to lead us on a suicide mission."

Cal sighed again and then turned to enter the mess hall unexpectedly. I stumbled as I corrected myself and followed him in. I quickened my pace to catch up to him, but before I could ask any more questions he said, "Your sister will chain me to one of these tables and force feed me if I don't eat tonight."

My frustration washed away for a moment, and I cracked a smile as I grumbled, "Well she has a right too. You look like hell, Calore."

He grabbed a bowl and handing it the woman serving soup, he offered me a grimace of a smile and replied, "I feel like hell."

He took the bowl back, and sat at the nearest table. I sank down in the chair opposite of him, and stretched my legs out in front of me, trying to get comfortable in the little chairs. Cal dug into the soup before I could ask him anything, so I turned to thinking out loud to voice my opinions. "That man has honestly caused more trouble than he's worth, I think he needs another reality check."

Cal snorted, but didn't reply. I picked at the sleeve of my jacket and then murmured, "You should be careful, he's got it out for you still."

"Yes well, he can have it out for me all that he wants. I'll lay him in the ground when I'm done with him." Cal replied in a soft whisper as he pushed the last of his soup away. I glanced down at it and then teased, "Mare wasn't kidding when she said you weren't eating."

"You can tell your sister that I'm perfectly fine." Cal argued as he pointed the spoon at me threateningly. I held my hands up, feigning surrender and then replied, "I think she just doesn't want to wake up to a starved sack of bones every morning. I know I wouldn't want to."

"What I do shouldn't-" he stopped suddenly and then hissed, "What do you mean she doesn't want to wake up next to a sack of bones?"

I snickered at his reaction, and shrugged to push the topic away. Waving away his protests, I leaned back in the chair, letting it fall into the two back legs before teasing, "Everyone knows Calore, get over it."

He grumbled something under his breath, and then pulled the soup bowl toward him again, as if eating could make me stop talking. I watched him for a few seconds, amused by his reluctance to talk about his relationship with my sister. Not that I blamed him, he had been raised to treat relationships as a political springboard. What he had with my sister though, that was something else, something new, and I wasn't sure he truly knew what he had.

"You do know that you make her feel safe right? That she would be a mess without you?" I ask softly, poking at the enigma that was his feelings. I may have come to trust Cal, maybe even care about him like a brother, but sometimes I still had the uneasy feeling that he was keeping secrets. Not that any of us weren't, but his could be a lot more dangerous than the time that I pushed Mare into the river as a joke and she almost drowned and we swore never to tell our parents. That wasn't something damning, I mean my mom would have probably beaten me with a wooden spoon for such a thing, but no one got seriously hurt.

Cal shifted his spoon for a moment, swirling the murky contents of his dinner before glaring up at me accusingly. "I really hope you're not questioning me, Shade. I know what I am to your sister, and she knows what she means to me."

I held my hands up in mock defense and replied in a soft warning tone, "Look, I'm just trying to look out for you two, okay? Don't think I hasn't escaped my attention that you guys never talk about the future, that it's always about the here and now. The only time you talk about what's coming is when you're talking about battle plans, and I don't think that's exactly healthy."  
He shifted uncomfortably under my gaze and then pushed his mostly empty bowl aside. "I don't know Shade, I really don't know what I'm going to do."

"Well, when it hits you, I suggest you tell her, and I mean as soon as it hits you. I don't want you to leave her out to dry when you could have let her know ages before then." I tease, trying to lighten the mood, but it appeared that I had struck a live wire. Cal's fingers tapped the table rapidly, and although he nodded at my response, I had the uneasy feeling that his mind was months in the future, looking through a oblique crystal ball at what was to come. I was terrified to know what he could see.

* * *

 _A/N_

 _Okay, so um (slides onto stage, sweats profusely), um, yeah, so this took me a while because I was waiting for my glass sword book, and then there was reading that devil's spawn, and then there was ranting about that devil's spawn, and then there was re-outlining my story so that I could make sure that the ideas I was doing were my own and not me predicting things. (Lol, I actually predicted a lot). After reflecting though, I have to say that I will probably be going in the opposite direction of Victoria, which means I'm going to try my absolute best to keep Glass Sword concepts and ideas out of my story, although I did like some of them and a few situations might pop up. If you've read glass sword, not to fear, fan fiction is here!_

 ** _PS YOU GUYS: WE NOW HAVE A TUMBLR BLOG! You can look it up as_** _ **redasthedawnfanfiction**._ ****

 ** _On that note, question time!_**

 ** _What do you think of Evangeline settling in, and her preposition to Cal?_**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I woke in the early morning, the bed sheets were still warm and wrapped around me tightly from the night. Sighing, I rolled over and drapped my arm lazily over Cal's waist. He shifted slightly, because always the soldier at heart, he slept lightly. Slowly, he threaded his fingers through mine and whispered, "Time to get up?"  
"If we want to be ready to go on time." I murmured into his shoulder as I pressed up against him and tried to leech off of his warmth. One of the benefits of sleeping with a burner was that it never got cold. I heard him chuckle, and the sound reverberated deep in his chest. I smiled at the sound, my lips curving on the skin of his shoulder.

He rolled over, keeping our fingers intertwined as he whispered, "You know I love you, right?"

I smiled brightly, feeling my cheek muscles strain as I did so. Loosening my fingers from his, I reached up and caressed his cheek for a moment. He closed his eyes at the touch, letting me explore the scars there before whispering, "I'm serious, Mare. No matter what happens, my heart will always belong to you."

"I know." I replied softly, as I tilted my head and closed the space between us. He smiled around the kiss, his eyes closed again as he pulled me close and ran his thumb in a circle near the small of my back. Oh there was never enough time for this, never enough moments, but just having one of them, was enough to satisfy me for the long span of desire to come. I broke the kiss slowly, letting my touch linger for a few more seconds, before slipping out of his grip and pushing the blankets back. He sighed, exasperated at my sudden departure, and propping himself up on his elbows, he inquired, "Why do you do this to me?"

"Do what?" I replied innocently, as I turned my back and began gathering my gear. He laid back down, running his hands down his face as he murmured incoherently, "Make me so desperate."

I laughed lightly at his comment, and then slipped out of my sleeping pants. I reached for my combat ones and stepping into them, I chided, "I don't make you desperate, quit being such a baby."

The belt I had grown accustomed to wearing, slipped through the loops, and I grabbed my shirt that was hanging on the line that we had strung across the room. I tugged it on sleepily, before grabbing my jacket and draping it over my arm. When I turned around, Cal was out of the sleeping roll and in action. He dressed while I turned my back to braid my hair. Although we slept together, and spent whatever time we had getting to know every little secret, we were still uncomfortable with the aspect of seeing each other. The thought was utterly ironic to me. We craved intimacy with each other, but denied ourselves the most intimate act.

I tied my braid off then grabbing my gun off the floor, I wrapped the holster around my leg and checked the chamber, counting the seven bullets I always had in there. I tucked the weapon in its normal resting place, and then grabbed the knife I normally strung across my chest. I slipped into the strap, letting it cross my chest comfortably, before sliding the knife out and checking the blade for dullness.

It was a beautiful weapon, with a hand crafted hilt, and a sharp, serrated tipped blade. It had been a gift from Cal, for my late birthday. My mother had blanched at it, expecting me to get any number of things other than a weapon, but my father had laughed, clapped Cal on the back and rolled away still laughing. Carved into the hilt with delicate, swirly writing, were my initials. _So that the enemy knows who they will have to face,_ Cal had teased when he had first showed me how to use it. Now it was another extension of my body, and I twirled it in my hand before holstering it too.

Next to me, Cal was sitting on the crate that we used as a side table, tying his boots. He glanced up at me and then smiled slightly, pausing from lacing to really look at me. I blushed deeply as he glanced me over a few times, then murmured, "You look like a warrior now, by my colors. When did that start happening?"

"Around the time you let me start keeping a knife next to me when I slept." I teased, as I crossed the small space and pressed a light kiss on his forehead. He reached up and tucked a stray hair that had fallen out of my braid behind my ear, his touch feather soft. I closed my eyes, and let him press a light kiss on my lips before he whispered, "Let's be safe today. No unnecessary risks."

"Hey, I don't take risks, I take calculated actions that some would consider dangerous." I replied, as I patted his cheek playfully before turning away to gather his weapons belt for him. He pushed my hand away and pointing his finger at me while he brought his boot up again to tie it, he replied, "That's my girl."

I gave him a smile over my shoulder, and tossed his belt to him, before slipping out of the room and into the deserted hallway. We bantered in the morning constantly, and it had become somewhat of a routine. It we didn't tease each other, then something was wrong. It wasn't often that something was wrong though. I supposed that made me worried. Things didn't just go right for me, or Cal, things went from okay to horrible quickly. If something was in the clear, then we were lying to each other, and at the moment, I was at fault for that. I hadn't told him about my recent musings on our cause. I hadn't told him about the nightmares returning with new faces, and new tortures, but surely he at least knew about that? If he did, he didn't make any moves to say anything or point them out for discussion.

The gas lamps overhead barely illuminated the rock walls around me, and I passed Isabella's room, which was only a cutout in the rock wall that had a curtain pulled over it to give her and her baby privacy. I stopped at the first door in the hall though, and cracked it open to look inside. Lying on the floor were the rooms main occupants, Chelsea, Torin, Oscar, and Maggie, who all appeared to be asleep still. The four of them were huddled near the gaslamp that was set on top of a crate that was in the center of the room. They all seemed to be gravitating toward Torin too, who like Cal, gave off warmth no matter what time of day it was. I smiled wistfully at the scene before me, as I went to close the door, wishing I still slept as peacefully as they did. Before I could shut it completely though, Maggie's sleepy voice called out to me.

I glanced into the room, and seeing her sitting up with a confused expression, I stepped in. Careful to leave the door ajar so that I didn't let all the light in and wake everyone, I stepped over Chelsea's sleeping form to crouch down next to Maggie. She rubbed her sleep heavy eyes and whispered, "Where are you and Cal going?"

"On a mission," I comforted, as I ran a hand through her messy curls, "We'll only be gone for half the day. It's only a supply run." The lie rolled off my tongue easily, they were never difficult to tell these days.

"Then why do you have your gun and knife?" Maggie yawned as she set her hand on the holster for my knife. I guided her back down to her pillow, to prevent further protest, and replied gently but sternly, "Because all missions are dangerous, and I have to be able to protect myself."

She looked doubtful, but she still closed her eyes around a large, long yawn, and rolled over to snuggle into her pillow. I sat there with her for a few more seconds, running my fingers through her curls to soothe her back to sleep before rising and leaving the room. I closed the door gently, so that I didn't wake any of the others. I couldn't bear to look back when Cal and I left on missions. I didn't lie when I told them that missions were dangerous, sometimes I actually feared that I wouldn't return to them.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I leaned against the door weakly and rested the back of my head against it, trying to sort through my emotions. I hated lying to Maggie, because deep down I knew that she knew the truth. What was I doing to her? She had already started questioning me and Cal, she didn't always trust our word nowadays, and I was terrified of what that could mean. Would she become like me? Unable to trust even those closest to her, would she close off and refuse to believe anything anyone told her?

I was taken out of my thoughts by Cal approaching from down the hallway. The shadows moved behind him, and detached themselves from the wall to become Evangeline Samos. She was dressed from what I could tell in makeshift battle gear that she must have forged from our own stores, and I stiffened in response to the other girls appearance. I pushed off the door and stepped to intercept her as Cal passed. He glanced over his shoulder at us, as I whispered before he could, "Evangeline, you need to stay here."

I watched as her expression tightened in fury and she straightened up to commanded down at me, "You are going to take me with you whether you want to or not."

Cal sighed, his expression tight as he turned to step up next to me and insist, "It's better if you stay here Evangeline, we won't be gone long."

"You're a terrible liar, I'm coming with you." Evangeline insisted with a hissing whisper as she tried to walk past us, but Cal stepped in her way and stretched his arm out to bar her path. She started in surprise and Cal dropped his arm with a heavy sigh as he whispered, "This mission isn't the best for your first one with the Guard. It's has been in the pipes for too long now Evangeline, and everyone on it has been preparing for some time."

I watched the exchange curiously, my mind running over the idea of Evangeline coming with us. Cal was right though, we had been planning this mission for months, while training the soldiers and prepping the scouts; there was no way Evangeline could join us unbriefed. She would be a valuable asset though, and we needed all the help we could get, especially where we were going.

"You promised me Calore, don't you forget that. I want in on this mission-"

"And I can't get you on it. This isn't just something you fling yourself into. It's a mission that has been worked out and planned, everyone has a set job. Don't you see that I can't just throw you on?" Cal argued, his expression stoney and cold as he stared down Evangeline. I shivered at the icy tone of his voice, but she didn't look the least bit ruffled by his question, and instead stood to her full height. I watched her normal scowl drop, only to be replaced by a sneer as she spoke with a voice as cold and stiff as sheets of iron. "Oh I see, you don't trust me. You think I'm just an expendable mouthpiece for information."

I flinched at her word choice, realizing that she was probably right, and then responded for a flustered Cal, "That's not true, we're just trying-"

"Everyone in the country is well aware of what you two are trying to do." Evangeline sniffed, her voice dripping with disgust. She took a step closer to me, and standing over me she growled, "You two don't see any of the ramifications, do you? The families that have been torn apart, the soldiers that are sent to fight you come home in boxes and are buried too young-"

"So are the Red children sent to fight your war." I spit, but the moment the words left, I instantly regretted them. Evangeline's lips puckered like she had tasted something sour, before she huffed in distaste and then turned on her heel to leave. She paused though, and then glancing over her shoulder at us, as if she wanted to say something else. She seemed to think better of it though, and turned to leave finally. She paced down the hallway, her platinum braid swaying back and forth as she stormed back toward her room at the end of the hall.

I watched her go with conflicting emotions. I hated how quickly she had dismissed the truth around her, but at the same time, I understood her fury. She was furious with Cal for keeping her back. She was still as self-important as I remembered, though. Her disgust with Cal for not including her spiked my own distaste, more for her personality, though.

Cal waited until she had shut the door to her room to pound his fist into the wall and then turn on his heel and storm off. I remained frozen in place, my eyes wide in surprise, not at his reaction, but at the ferocity that had slipped through his usual mask of calm. I knew that below his surface Cal was a raging inferno, but he so rarely showed it, so rarely exploded out like that. Normally, it was a heavy sigh through his nose, or setting his head in his hand and massaging the bridge of his nose. I felt a drop of fear swell in my chest, how much had this war changed us, how much had it changed Cal?

I turned to hurry after him though. My fears over everything that was said, and everything that wasn't weighed me down, and I heard Hector's words from a few months ago run through my head. _Will he keep that promise Barrow, when he has to choose between the crown and his promise to you?_

(/)

I felt a bump of turbulence as we went through a particularly rough patch in the airship. My cheek bumped against Cal's shoulder repeatedly, and I pushed off of him to prevent the motion from continuing. Sleepily, I looked around at the other Guardsmen who were strapped into their crash harnesses, some sleeping, and others chatting idly. I envied them. They didn't carry the weight of so many secrets on their hearts. They were simple men and women who signed up for missions, and came home thinking we had secured another victory for the future, for their children.

My stomach churned at the thought of children, and Evangeline's comment rang through my mind. How many parents had I left childless with my lightning? How many young children had I made orphans? How different were we from the monsters we were fighting? I didn't feel like I was any different from Maven any more. He killed our children by sending them to war, and we killed the one's he sent to stop us. Were we the monsters, or was he?

I unbuckled rapidly from the tangle of buckles holding me down. Suddenly, the cargo hold was too small, too confining. I paced to the back of the hold, my hand threading though my hair as I went. My fingers trembled at the prospect of my thoughts, and I ended up crouching next to one of the electrical cabinets. I leaned back against the warm metal and rested my head in my hands, inhaling deeply and exhaling sharply as I tried to push down the nausea rising up.

I felt a warm hand brush against my lower back, and I stiffened in surprise before ducking away from the touch and murmuring, "I'm fine, just need some air."

Cal's voice was gentle as he replied. "Talk to me, Mare. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I snipped stubbornly as I pushed away and rose to my feet. He wasn't far behind me though, and I felt his warm touch again, trying to soothe me. His hands wrapped around my arms, holding me in place, even though my back was to him. I wanted to pull away, I wanted to wrench myself out of his grip, but I couldn't bear to, I needed his warmth just like he needed my spark. We were two halves to the same whole, and in a way that was terrifying.

Who were we kidding? There was no future for this, there was no future for us. Cal would be a king, and I...I would go back to being the girl from the Stilts. Could I go back there though? It was such a long road back to the girl I used to be, filled with so many wrong turns and lies. Truthfully, I wasn't sure I knew who Mare Barrow was anymore.

I felt Cal's lips on my hair, and I melted the slightest bit at his touch. Even if my thoughts were being pulled in a million directions, something about Cal's touch always calmed me, centered me. He was my rock, and I was his anchor, we were one and the same, and yet not.

"I just," I began, my voice thick with my emotions, and I felt his hands slid from my arms to my wrists and then to my waist. He wrapped his arms around me then, pulling me up against him so that I was enveloped in his warmth and his scent. I felt his breath on my ear, and he whispered softly, "Tell me, I'll always listen, you know that."

"What are we doing Cal? Are we even doing the right thing anymore?" I whispered softly, my voice barely audible above the roar of the engines around us. He stiffened at my words, and his grip became tighter as he replied cooly, "You've been thinking about this for awhile."  
I nodded, before dropping my chin to my chest to hide my crumbling expression, no use letting everyone one around us know. Cal refused to let me hide it though, he nuzzled his nose into my neck, and whispered, "Let it go, it's okay to feel Mare, it's okay to be in pain."

"I can't...we can't fall apart, you know that." I choked softly, my hands wrapping around his while I interlocked my fingers with his. He laughed softly, his voice teasing as he replied, "From my vantage point, it might be too late for that."

Even in the situation I was in, when I was starting to hit rock bottom, Cal always found some way to catch me, to make me smile just enough, so that he could pull me back from the brink. He seemed to sense my shifting mood, because he spun me around to face him, and cupping my chin with his hand, so that I was forced to meet his eye, he whispered, "I need you with me on this mission, not pondering philosophy."

I rolled my eyes at his tone and pulled my chin out of his grip, my recovery spectacular considering the fact that I had almost thrown myself over the edge again. Cal on the other hand didn't so much as blink at my change. We were both so volatile now, so mercurial, it was impossible to tell what mood we would wake up in.

He still gave me a smile, and then turned to pass through the hold. I watched his form recede into the cockpit where he was probably going to ask Noel about our estimated arrival time. It wasn't often that Cal let other's fly the airship that we had code named the Motherbird. He prefered to fly it himself, since he only trusted his own hands at the controls, but lately Noel had taken charge of the ship. She had apologized this time though, since Cal was supposed to fly, citing that she had orders from higher up. There wasn't anyone above Cal that I knew of though.

The single tone that signaled we were approaching the drop point sounded throughout the hold, vibrating my bones and setting my nerves on fire. Cal appeared from the cockpit once more, and flicking the lights onto full power, he announced, "Five minutes to drop off, prepare Squadrons A and B. Squadron C, you will remain behind and then enter the compound from the west side. All squadrons meet at the designated rendezvous at o-nine hundred."

The airship shook around us, as we entered a spell of turbulence and Cal grabbed onto the strap above his head, while I scrambled back to my seat next to him. Noel's voice came over the loudspeaker then, tense and wired, "Everyone take your seats, this landing's going to be interesting."

Cal sank into his seat then, his expression stiff as he belted himself back in. I followed suit as the ship bucked again, throwing me against my restraints. The belt's cut into my chest, and I gasped as the air was forced out of my body. Across from me, one of the women let out a curse as her bag slid across the floor and toward us. I caught it with my foot, kicking it underneath my seat to keep it from flying all over the place and taking someone's head off. As I did so, the ship plummeted suddenly, sending my stomach up into my throat and the air out of my lungs again. I grabbed Cal's wrist in my hand, suddenly terrified that we were going to die. His fingers intertwined with my own and he squeezed tightly, trying to reassure me as the ship continued to plummet and shake around us. I reached out, feeling the circuitry around me, feeling it as it strained to keep up with Noel's commands. Far below us, I felt the city of Harbor Bay growing larger by the second, the intricate bands of electricity firing rapidly as the city began to wake to another stormy, and dreary day.

It had been Cal's idea to break into the city and go after the records room to wipe us all out of the system. According to him, if we were caught in public by security, or if they spotted out faces in surveillance footage, they wouldn't be able to trace it in the system to tag our movements. Unfortunately, Cal would not be able to erase himself, since his file had been locked down and tagged to prevent us from doing exactly what we were planning on. We had decided against wiping me from the system too, since by now, my face was infamous enough to be tagged even without a record.

The ship shuddered underneath us once more, and Noel's painfully cheery voice announced over the loudspeaker to prepare for landing. Not even a heartbeat later, the wheels slammed on the ground, and we were all jostled in our seats as the ship rocked back and forth on the asphalt that we had the audacity to call a runway. I could hear the howling of the wind as it ripped at the dull metal around us, tearing at it, as if it could reach us. The howling slowly died, though, until all I could hear was the pounding of the rain on the metal, but it might have been my heart hammering in my ears.

Around me, everyone began to rise, unbuckling, and grumbling about the rough flight. Cal softly tried to tug his hand out of my grip, teasing, "You can let go now Mare. We're on the ground."

I pulled my hand away in embarrassment, glancing down at his skin to see deep divots on his wrist where my nails had gripped his skin. I blushed deeply at my reaction to a bit of rough riding and grumbled, "Sorry, the ride is normally not that rough."

He let out a soft laugh, as he rubbed his wrist before turning to his restraints. His eyes were lit like small pools of fire, and I couldn't help but return the his grin, as I glanced down to work at my buckles, which had a habit of getting stuck.

Cal rose before me, and standing up, he opened the compartment above our heads to pull out the rifle that he normally brought with him on missions now. Bree had taken the stupid thing on a mission with us, and he'd dropped it only for Cal to pick it up and get us out with only three shells left. After that, it had been dubbed the lucky gun and Bree had bestowed it on Cal, grumbling about him being a better shot anyway.

He strung the weapon across his shoulder and took the extra pistol out of his bag, spinning it in his hand, he offered it to me, barrel down. I took the weapon from him and gestured to the rifle. "When am I going to get one of those?"

Laughing, he offered me a cheeky grin and replied, "When you can handle the one in your hand now."

I scowled openly at him, tucking the barrel into the back of my pants for easy access. The ramp opened with a groan, and a flash of lightning fired across the sky, setting everything in a bright purple and white glow for a moment. Squadron A leaped up and stepped out, followed quickly by Squadron B, which Cal and I vanished among. We were dressed in casual work uniforms for the docks, which would hopefully help us to blend in among the hundred of men and women that stumbled through the muddy streets to their stations every morning.

A rumble of thunder sounded overhead, rattling my bones and apparently shaking the others, who all seemed to shiver unconsciously. As we reached the crest of the hill that overlooked Harbor Bay, we stood at quiet attention, looking at the high walls and the faint lights of a city that was starting to wake. If all went well, we would have entered, completed our mission and vanished without a trace within a few hours.

(/)

Inside of the city, we found it relatively easy to blend in, with the pounding rain turning everyone's heads down, and lulling the Sentinels and Guards that stood on top of makeshift scaffold platforms. In their hands they carried heavy rifles that were meant for picking people off in the narrow streets, and the thought of how experienced they were with the weapons made me shiver. They paced back and forth like cats strolling on the wooden balconies of the Stilts, underneath rotting eves that dropped water off the edge to form ponds in the streets. The mud splashed up with each passing cart, coating us in the stuff, and further camouflaging us.

I glanced out from underneath my hood at Cal across the way. His shoulders were hunched to hide the shape of the rifle on his back, and his hood had been pulled low to hide his features. All around me, the members of Squadron B flanked us, providing cover should anything happen.

As if he sensed my gaze, Cal met my eye across the street, his mouth twisted in a grimace at the cold and the prospect of our situation. He nodded to me, then his form vanished behind a cart loaded with heavy wooden crates. A few seconds later, he came back into my line of sight, his steps purposefully slow. I forced my own steps to a crawl and crossed the street, nodding to my half of the squadron to follow. They slipped from the shadows like wolves in the night, and we slowly bled into the crowd that was heading north, into the center of the city.

The buildings steadily became cleaner around us, and the streets suddenly became cobble stone underneath our boots. I became more aware of the emptiness and silence around us. A few people brushed past us, or around us, their heads tucked down to protect themselves from the cascade of rain. I glanced up from underneath my hood once more and reached out to grab the back of Cal's cloak, to force him to stop. But he was plowing ahead, his eyes set on the high gates of City Center. I had always assumed that it would be a market like the Stilts, but this was so much more than I could have imagined.

Harbor Bay was the main port of Norta along the coast, where all trade came and went. It only made sense that it would have the grandest center. The gates before us were polished to a shine, and as a bolt of lightning exploded across the sky, the glass of the roofs sparkled like diamonds. Cal was oblivious to it though, and that shouldn't have surprised me, he had been born into a world of jewels and flashing silver, this was nothing to him.

He didn't even break pace as he led us through the high gates that stretched up into the sky and ended in sharp would certainly hurt if a magnetron used them. The space before us was protected by a grand web of vines, and tree branches that must have been built by Greenies. It was filled to the brim with vibrant flowers that created a checkerboard of color above our heads. The rain didn't so much as peirce the canopy.

All around us, Silvers bustled along side Reds who carried packages and parcels, their wrists wrapped in a customary red band that would designate them everywhere they went. Below our boots was a mosaic of polished marble and stone that created interlocking circles, and I watched as the mud on our boots was washed away behind us by some invisible machine that must have been designed by Silvers. Behind me, the others looked around in awe, their jaws gaping, even though they tried to keep them shut to not arouse suspicion.

We paused before a massive white marble building that had veins of what looked like gold running through it. Cal reached out, his hand closing lightly around my wrist while his eyes scanned the crowd for Squadron A that was supposed to come through the west gate. Sure enough, I saw their party pushing through the crowd, before they scattered like marbles in a children's game. They executed their circle formation around us perfectly, and with a nod at their commander, who was a middled aged man from the north, Cal turned and led me and a few members from Squadron B behind the building.

The alleyway was spotless, and as we passed through it, Cal glanced up through the rain, and I saw his eyes soften as they landed on a white palace on top of a high bluff above the harbor. I followed his eyes, and squinting through the rain, I was able to make out the high ivory towers that stood like a beacon above the roaring sea. With the clouds below it, winding up the cliff, the palace itself appeared to be floating in the clouds. My breath was taken away by the sight of it, so majestic, and yet so lonely. It was the only building that I could see, and it appeared almost abandoned.

We paused outside of a set of double doors that led into the workers entrance. We would wait until the stroke of eight sounded from the massive clock in the square, and then we would be admitted by a man on the inside, since the doors could only be opened from inside the building.

As we sought shelter under the eaves, I leaned into Cal, burying my face in his shoulder while he hunched over to offer me more warmth. "Have you been there?" I asked quietly as I nodded in the direction of the palace he had been looking at. He tensed against me, and then let out a long, hollow sigh that seemed to deflate him.

"My father built it for my mother, she wanted somewhere to get away from Archeon, and… we would go there every spring. It was my favorite palace." His voice held so much melancholy and desire, as if he were still a young boy inside searching for a mother that was never coming back. His arm wound around my shoulders and he pulled me closer to him as he whispered, "I think you would like it there. It's very…quiet, and everything is very simple. My mother was never one for the opulence of court, and she detested being near it."

I nodded into his shoulder, picturing a woman who looked like Julian, but I couldn't find the image in my memory. I felt a pang of sorrow at the fact that the memory of my teacher was already starting to fade. He was Cal's uncle, my teacher, the man who saved all of those in the book of names, and who had looked at me and seen a human, and I was already forgetting him. I laid my head back on Cal's chest and replied softly trying to dispel the tight ball of emotion in my throat, "Maybe you can take me there someday."

He chuckled softly, the sound hollow in his chest. "I doubt Elara let the place remain hospitable. I'm surprised that it's even still there."

A loud boom sounded behind us, breaking our embrace suddenly, and we all started in surprise. Another boom sounded, followed by six more. The large clock that stood above the building sounding out the hour to every present. It sounded like a crack of thunder though, and I shivered involuntarily at the sound.

"It's time." Cal whispered, his words sending another shiver down my spine. Sure enough, a heartbeat after his words, the door nearest to us opened a crack and an older man beckoned us inside. We dove in, all of us shaking the cold out of our bones. The man waited patiently for us, while we stripped off our heavy outer layers to reveal the sleek uniforms underneath. We had invested a month ago in a mission to retrieve special uniforms for this. They rivaled that of the outfit I had been given before I was thrown into the Bowl of Bones, and had the same cut and material. It would protect us from some of the Silver's abilities though, and that was all we could hope for in that moment. We were about to face a whole legion most likely, and we would be facing them with no support. Everyone was well aware of the risks though, and there would be no hesitation, not this time.

The man who had let us in, gestured to the door at the end of the short hallway, his voice like gravel, "The soldiers will be on shift rotation in a couple minutes, you could slip by the majority of the security while they do that."

Cal shrugs the rifle back onto his shoulder, and nodding toward the door, he inquired, "How long does it typically take them to change rotations?"

"Thirty seconds to a minute." The man replied softly, his eyes dropping before he met Cal's. Next to me, one of the Guardsmen snorted and grumbled, "Because that's not impossible to work with."

"We'll make it work," I chided over my shoulder as I stepped past Cal and the others, my intention to reach the doors before anyone said anything else. I crouched down and turning the handle a millimeter at a time, my other hand creeping the door back so that I could glance out at the hallway. A few feet to the right were a pair of guards, their backs straight and their focus lasered in on the opposite end of the hallway. I twisted my lips in a grimace at the situation then closed the door softly, relying on years of breaking into Sentinel's houses to quiet the lock as it re-engaged.

Cal crouched down behind me, his expression dark as he inquired, "We're not going to be able to get the whole group through, some should remain behind."

"What if someone comes in here and sees them?" I argued, my eyes narrowing as I shifted my weight from my toes to my heels. We couldn't leave anyone behind, and if they left the building now in a massive group, people might actually question it. When we came in, we could have just been another gang from the docks passing through a safe zone to our territory, but if only some of them returned, then people would start investigating, or worse, report it. At this point in the mission, it was too late to turn back, and too late to come up with another plan, we would have to go with the original one, even if it was deadly. Cal shifted his weight next to me as well, his expression pained as he murmured, "I don't want to bury anymore men."

My heart ached, and unconsciously, I reached for his hand and closed my fingers around his, more to reassure him than myself. "We have no choice, we have to do this Cal, we'll never get the chance again."

His lips draw into a tight line and he squeezes my fingers back, the only sign that he's agreed to go through with the plan. Wordlessly, he turns and gestures for the others to get ready. A few of them shared worried glances, and the small area we were waiting in became charged with nervous energy. There was no telling what would happen at this point, we were on our own now.

Outside the door, I heard the shuffle of feet and the slight whisper of the guards as they left their station to make room for the next set. I waited until their footfalls had stopped echoing down the hallway to open the door. Beyond our small oasis of safety, was silence and empty space. I glanced back at the group, and gave a heavy nod, instructing them to move. Cal leaped out first, his weapon raised as he swept the hallway with his eyes, waiting for a sign of movement. The others filed out behind him, pressing themselves against the far wall, and edging along it quickly to the next hallway. I rose from my crouched position, and instructed the man behind me, "Stay here, don't leave until you're sure we're gone."

He gave me a grave nod, his frightened eyes betraying his calm exterior. After that, I ducked out into the hallway, and slipped my knife out of its holster. The thin blade caught the light and shone for a moment, sending a bouncing light across the wall in front of me. I spun the hilt into a backhand grip, the hilt worn in my grip from months of training with it. I crept along the wall until I was behind Cal. He glanced down at me and then around the corner quickly. "This hallways clear. I need you to bring up the rear, Mare." He glanced back at me expectantly, his eyes searching for a response. I nodded tightly at his words, my chest constricting in worry as I let everyone pass me until I was alone behind them.

Our boot falls were hollow echoes on the marble as we made what felt like impossibly slow progress through the pristine, glowing halls. We only ran into one set of guards, and Cal and one of the Guards men quickly dispatched them. Their bodies crumpled to the floor, bullet wounds leaking silver pools onto the floor. Two of our men grabbed them underneath their arms and dragged them out of view, but there was nothing we could do about the blood stain.

Cal glanced down at the twin pools sadly, and then turned away quickly, his expression clouded. I felt the knot of worry in my stomach tighten, as I remembered how pained he had become after killing so many of his own people. I knew that position though, I had stood on a platform and condemned thousands of children to war, and had doomed hundreds more when I fell into the arena. I knew his pain, and knowing he needed it right then, I reached out to set my hand on his arm to reassure him. He glanced back at me, and I offered a soft, pitying smile as I whispered, "Lead the way general."

He glanced away, and then started off again, his steps quick, yet measured. I followed behind, my worry over him rising with each step he took away from me.

(/)

The room we choose the infiltrate was guarded by a Strongarm, who was leaning against the door with a large rifle strapped across his shoulder. He set his hand on it every so often and turned to pace away from the door down the short hall to look out the large glass window that overlooked the Market Square. He couldn't have been from a High House, or he wouldn't be here guarding a useless hallway, and he must have known it too, judging by his posture.

I gripped the hilt of my knife tighter and then slipped out of the shadows of the doorway we were hiding in. Cal followed behind me, practically my shadow as we approached the man from behind. Cal slipped around me and stepped up behind the man, he wrapped his hand around his mouth and pinned spun him around to pin him against the wall. I followed through behind him, thrusting my knife through his back in the area above his heart. The tip of my knife rammed against the wall, and I the jolt travel up my arm and too my shoulder like fire. I pushed down through the pain, and watched silver blood seep out of the wound as the man struggled against us. Eventually he fell still, and Cal let him slide to his knees on the ground. His body left a long silver stain along the perfectly polished marble, and I pulled my knife from his back, letting him fall to the floor completely. He sagged down and I turned away in disgust as I wiped my knife on the leg of my pants, leaving another silver stain. Cal crouched down and pulled the man's uniform off, checking his pockets for any communication devices or identification. In the breast pocket of the Strongarm's jacket, Cal found a set of keys that could grant us access to any part of the building.

The guardsmen had already entered the computer room, and we, hard at work, deleted everyone from the system, their movements practiced and precise. Maribel had worked hard to prepare them, coaching most of them on anything from getting around security to purposefully tripping certain firewalls in order to get around another. Cal and I remained by the door, keeping steady watch, as they did their work. I was never one for technology, and even with my heightened understanding of electricity, I still had no idea how to operate one of the stupid things.

Next to me, Cal glanced down the hallway and growled, "They saw us, there's no way they didn't see us take him down."

"Maybe the camera's were looking the other way." I offered sarcastically, trying to squash the hope in my chest over the possibility of that fact. Cal only huffed in distaste and replied, "Well, they'll see the body and know that we're here."

"Then we should wrap this up quickly." I grumbled as I turned to order the men to stop and destroy the computers, but I was interrupted by a screeching alarm, that forced me to my knees and made my cover my ears at its intensity. Cal was in the same position, his hands over his ears while he crouched against the doorway to try and protect himself if anyone started firing at us. The men started into a panic, their screams of pain rebounding off the walls and making the noise worse. Cal had stumbled toward me, his steps wild and wavering as his ears rung and the sound messed with his perceptions.

He pulled me to my feet by my arm, pulling my hand away from my ear, and wordlessly, he threw me toward the door. I caught myself on the doorframe, hot tears rolling down my cheeks, but when I lifted my palm to my face to wipe them away, my skin came away bright red with blood. I stumbled out of the room and wretched all over the floor and then fell to my hands and knees, my ears ringing and my head spinning. Behind me, Cal stumbled around the room, herding the others out of the room and into the larger hallway where the sound wouldn't affect them as much. They fell out of the room in a herd, blood running down their cheeks and others pumping out of their ears The first one fell with a bullet wound in his head next to me and I registered the faint pop of guns and with a groan of pain, I pulled myself up along the wall and drew the gun from my hip. I lifted it with a shaking hand and fired a hopeful shot, which only hit the wall on the other side of the hall and sent shards of marble flying into the air. The guardsmen stumbled back the way we had come, hoping to make it to the exit before they could be killed. I remained behind though, my vision spinning as I fell back against the wall and fired another shot into the swirling abyss. Through my aching ears, I could hear a loud curse as I hit someone. My hearing was starting to clear though, and the popping of guns and the shouts of Silvers were the first thing to assault my already damaged ears. The world did a sickening swing as I turned to look behind me and locate Cal. He was still in the room, feverishly typing something into the database. I stumbled toward him, only for a volley of bullets to send me stumbling backwards. The shards of marble rushed toward me, cutting at my arms as I tried to cover the majority of my face.

I brought the gun back around one more time, and fired another shot at the group of silvers that were advancing on us. I mustered enough mental process to shout across the hallway, "Cal, we have to go!"

He looked over his shoulder at me, before looking back to the monitor one more time, and stepping away. He fired a shot into each of the monitors and then maneuvered his way out of the room. He brought his rifle up from around his shoulder and I brought my gun up as well to provide him with cover fire as he crossed the hallway. A few of the silvers fell, clutching at their wounds as Cal fired shots into their general vicinity. As soon as he was near me, he wrapped his arm under my own, and I supported him as he almost carried me out while we ran down the hallway, the Silvers' bullets cutting through the air around us. I glanced behind us though, and stretching my arm out, I reached with the last of my strength for the electricity that was screaming at me from the damaged computers. I sent a surge of energy through the damaged wires and instantly, they exploded. The hallway shook, and the Silvers cried out as they fell to the floor. Behind us small fires were starting to catch, and as we rounded a corner, Cal glared at them, sparking them and spreading them into a massive inferno that sent the Silvers scattering in panic.

We turned a sharp corner and Cal stumbled with me as we almost careened into the wall. Across from us, a window offered us a view of the chaos in the plaza as the Sentinels pushed their way through the crowd to find the members of our scattered party. I can see some of them escaping through the gates, stumbling about, making themselves impossibly easy targets.

Behind us, Cal's fire raged, and burned everything in its path, creating a protective wall to give us time to collect ourselves and think. Our relief would be short lived, and we both knew it. It wouldn't be long until they got Nymphs to put out the fire, but we could only hope that we would be gone by then.

I stumbled with Cal' weight, my knees shaking with exhaustion and agony. "Cal," I managed through gritted teeth, "the Guard...we...what do we do?" I had always prided myself on my ability to remain calm in dire situations, but now. Now I was terrified. I was terrified I would lose Cal, terrified that I would die, terrified that everything would be for naught. Cal growled next to me, and put himself back on his feet, taking most of his weight off of me. "Window. We have to go through the windows."

He tugged me toward the glass pane in front of us, and resting against it for a moment he whispered, "There are fountains below. We'll land in one."

"And get drowned by a nymph," I argued. My eyes had begun to sting with the smoke from Cal's fire which was inching every closer to us, slowly transitioning from our saving grace, to our doom. Clutching my shoulder tightly for support, Cal replied stiffly, "Well I don't see you coming up with any brilliant plans!"

I glanced behind us, my eyes drawn to the faint red-orange glow on the walls. The fire was dying, and we were running out of time. The fire wouldn't hold them off much longer, but if they were smart, and they had burners, they would push it toward us, trap us. The would force us to surrender and circle around us… my heart leapt in surprise. That was it, that was my plan, right there. Shifting my shoulders under Cal's arm, I turned us away from the window and huffed, "Keep the fire going, and I'll get us out."

"What the hell is that going to do for us?" Cal shouted in exasperation as I took us in what felt like a full on sprint, but most likely looked like a pitiful walking pace, down the hall we were going. We rounded the corner, and glancing up, I popped the cameras out, one by one, before turning us back around and doubling back to the small corridor I had noticed earlier. To most, it looked like a dead end hallway, but Silver would have no use for such things in a building like this. It had to have some practically use, and I was betting on it being a service corridor. There would be no cameras there, and it would put us out in the hall directly across from us, right behind the Silvers that were on our tail. The broken cameras were meant to lead them on, like a breadcrumb trail, they would follow it the end of the hall and then sprint back, looking for which way we had gone. It was a common trick in the Stilts, one Kilorn and I had perfected as ten year olds. Lead them one way, double back, cut through an alley, and end up right back where you started so that you could go the other way.

I shoved open the door into the hall with my shoulder and grunted at the pain before stumbling into the dark and pushing forward. The door slammed closed behind us and we traveled through darkness for a few seconds before Cal lifted his hand and lit it with fire, dissolving the darkness in a dim glow. He was getting tired, and I wasn't sure if I could drag him through the streets, let alone myself. We could always hole up here and wait, but they would look here eventually, and we would be in even more trouble than before. Better to collapse in the gutters outside, than get ambushed in a tight hallway.

I kicked open the exit to the service entrance and we were instantly bathed in heat from Cal's fire. It surrounded us on all sides, and I struggled to see through the flames to find our way. The fire crackled around us, and Cal slumped against me for a moment, his eyes glassy as he murmured something unintelligible. I shrugged him up on my shoulder again and shouted at him, hoping to keep him with me. He shook his head, trying to clear it so he could see straight as we stumbled through the smoke and twisting hallways.

As we picked up pace through the halls, Cal grunted, "They'll close the windows when they realize they lost us...we have to get out soon."

I nodded and then glanced over my shoulder at the empty hallway behind us. It wasn't empty for long though, I could make out what could have been the shadows of other guards, or it could have been my panicked mind creating hallucinations with the swirling smoke. Cal was right though, we were running on borrowed time.

Cal yanked me down a hallway, his expression strained as he ordered, "Down this way, there's an emergency exit this way. They won't be guarding it."

My heart leapt in hope and we turned sharply to trudge in the direction of the exit.

(/)

Making it out of the city was almost impossible. We barely made it to the sewer tunnels we had come in through. The two of us stumbled around for a few hours, barely making it to the hill crest for Squadron C to come and help us up. Two men grabbed us and helped us up the slope to the airship. The others were inside, administering aid to those who had already made it back. They set me down on one side and Cal on the other, directly across from me. Rolling onto my hands and knees, I crawled my way to him. He turned his head weakly to glance at me as I yanked off my jacket, and reached up to wipe away the blood that was running down from his eyes. He rested his head against my palm and sighed heavily, his eyes closing slowly as he began to slip into unconsciousness.

Reaching out, I shook his shoulder slightly and inquired, "What were you doing, why didn't you leave the computer room?"

He only sighed again and reached up, his hand sliding around my neck, so that he pulled my head down towards him. He pressed a light kiss to my hairline and then tucked my head on his shoulder, his voice soft as he whispered, "Nothing important."

My stomach turned, but I forced myself to relax against him. Cal wasn't stupid enough to risk his life for something unimportant, he had been doing something, and I was damned if I wasn't going to figure it out.

* * *

 ** _A/N_**

 _Hello everyone, and happy Easter, long time no see (Lol sorry, bad joke). Anyway, I'm happy to announce my return. I hope you really enjoyed this chapter by the way. I had a little bit of writer's block while writing this, and that's why this took me so long. I'm glad it's out of the way though, and I have a rainbow of inspiration now so you should expect some chapters pretty soon. I'm going to try and get a schedule up and running too so that you guys aren't surprised by updates. (;_

 ** _Question time!_**

 _What do you think Cal was up to?_


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _(/_ _ **Evangeline**_ _/)_

I woke to the sound of Maggie screaming at Torin to stop pulling her hair, followed by Isabella shouting at them to stop yelling. I growled and rolling over, covered my head with my pillow. I could still hear the little girl though, screaming and running up and down the hallways. Throwing my pillow across the room, I kicked my blankets off, and pushed myself to my feet. If someone wasn't going to stop her, then I damn well was.

My small room had become an oasis in the whirlwind that was the Phoenix Legion, but I still couldn't escape them. They were constantly around, the little girl running around with her blind, unseeing eyes, causing havoc, even though she was normally followed by Mare or Cal telling her to calm down. The noise was out of control, the whole concept was beyond me, and I couldn't stand it much longer. How Cal was able to keep the whole thing together was beyond me. I didn't have the patience for this kind of thing.

Throwing open my door, I stormed into the hallway and stalked toward the massive caravan that served as a meeting area of sorts. They normally met there in the mornings after breakfast when Cal and Mare announced the schedule for the day, but the two of them had been in the infirmary recovering from their last mission for the past few days, and chaos had come like a tidal wave.

I entered the room, and saw a frantic Isabella balancing her baby on her hip, while she tried to grab Maggie by the back of her sleeping shirt. The little girl was a whirlwind of shouting, screaming fury. She would lash out with her hands and scream before backing away and swatting at Isabella's out stretched hands. The older boy Torin was standing across from her, trying to calm her down, but Maggie was out of control, and I wasn't going to stand for it anymore.

I stalked up behind her, and grabbing her by the hair on top of her head, I yanked her over to the side. She fell deathly silent for a moment, before letting out a scream and clawing at my wrist. I squeezed my fingers together to pull the hair tighter and keep her from squirming, but it only caused her to scream harder and start really crying.

"Stop it, you're hurting her!" Torin shouted as I yanked her hair back again. I glared at him and then replied stiffly, "She needs to learn that this is unacceptable behavior."

"Let go of the girl, Silver."

I flipped around, my fingers still knotted into the the girls hair. By now she was sobbing softly, her screams subdued. Standing in the doorway, with a small bag of gear in his hand, Shade Barrow looked like a thunderstorm about to let loose. I immediately let go of her upon sensing the pressure in the room escalate and the temperature drop. Maggie ran over to Torin the second the pressure of my hand vanished, and the young burner crouched down to hug her tightly as he soothed her.

I straightened my back to face Shade and said, "She was out of control, someone had to-"

"It's not your place to do anything. You are a guest here, under Mare and Cal's wishes, and you have no right to walk around dictating anyone." Shade hissed as he tossed the bag to the side and advanced on me. I took a quick step back, trying to expand the distance between us, but his strides were long and he had me pinned against the far wall before I could even think of a comeback. I glared up at him, refusing to seem intimidated. He may have been taller than me, but he wasn't that much taller, and I wouldn't have a Red making me nervous anymore.

He saw my swift change of expression and narrowing his eyes he leaned down until we were practically breathing the same air to growl, "You think that you have some stature around here, don't you? Well, I have news for you, Blondie, you are nothing here, nothing but a lying, manipulating Silver bitch that has eyes for the crown that will never be yours."

My chest constricted in fear at his words as he pinned my shoulders to the wall with his forearm and continued in a hushed, threatening whisper, "You stay away from these people. They've been through more of hell than you'll ever have the misfortune of seeing. You stay away from them, or so help me, I'll make you wish you had never been conceived. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a second, contemplating backing down. He saw my hesitation and pressed harder with his forearm, digging his elbow into the crevice of my shoulder. I hissed in pain, and he growled, "Do I make myself clear, Blondie?"

Meeting his eyes head on, I sneered and spit, "Crystal."

"Good," He spit as he dropped his arm and turned to face the others who had all stood frozen in shock, watching the scene before them. Maggie was clutching at Torin, her eyes bright red and watery still as he massaged the top of her head softly. Isabella was clutching her baby to her chest, her eyes glancing at me suspiciously as she stepped toward Torin as well. By then, Chelsea and Oscar had come out of the other room, their expressions confused and heavy with sleep still. Shade glanced at them both before gesturing to the bag he had brought with him and stating, "I spoke with Mare and Cal this morning. They're being released from the medical center tonight or tomorrow morning, which means that you guys won't have anyone to train you today. They've asked me if I would do it, and I've agreed to."

Chelsea nodded at his words and then reached out to take Maggie from Torin. "We'll get ready then." She gave him a curious glance before looking at me. Shade merely shook his head and grabbed the bag as he stormed out the same way he had come in. "Be in the training room in half in hour, I'll need some time to set up."

As he disappeared around the corner, the others turned to glare at me before they too turned and left. Isabella remained behind, her expression furious as she grumbled something in her language under her breath before passing me. I remained pressed up against the wall though, pinned there by Shade's glare, even though it no longer was on me.

I eventually stepped away from the wall, rubbing at my lower back where a chunk of rock had been pressing into the spot right about my tail bone. As I walked by the exit to the Legions quarters, I glared in the direction Shade Barrow had gone, "I'll show you what a real bitch is Shade Barrow."

I stormed down the hallway then, almost running into Chelsea who was holding Isabella's baby on her hip. She frowned at me, and then shifting the baby, she asked, "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know, you tell me." I spit as I glared down at her. The tips her hair turned bright blue and she spit, "You don't have to be so bitter you know. She's just a little girl, and she loves Mare and Cal. She thought something happened to them, and she wanted to go see them, but Isabella told her that we had to get ready first."

"Then she should learn to be patient." I growled as I went to storm away, but her words stopped me dead.

"Maybe you could use the same lesson."

My stomach turned and I glared at her over my shoulder. She didn't seem the least bit concerned though. In fact, she seemed to have grown five sizes since I had turned around. The baby whined in her arms and reached up for her curls, and she shifted him before turning on her heel and vanishing into the bedroom.

I watched her as she disappeared through the doorway, and began instructing Maggie on what to wear to training. I listened to the soft banter between the two older boys, and Isabella's heavy accent as ordered them to get ready. They were a mismatched quilt of people, and I felt even more alone standing out here, noticing them. I missed my brother more than anything then. I missed the safety and comfort of the palace, where I was the one that gave the orders, not a little Red girl with lightning in her hands, and certainly not her brother Shade Barrow.

(/)

I waited until everyone was in the training room and had settled in before I decided to enter. Shade was standing on the raised platform in the center, instructing everyone on the technique for a proper roundhouse kick when I opened the door. As I closed it behind me, loud enough that the sound echoed through the caravan, I noticed that there were a multitude of people there that were not members of Phoenix Legion. I glanced them over steadily as I made my way to the back of the crowd. As I took a spot at the back, I noticed that it had fallen deathly silent around me, and Shade was glaring down at me from his perch. Smiling up at him wickedly, I made sure to drag one of the metal chairs leaning against the wall, all the way across the floor before opening it and sitting down. If he noticed my game, he wasn't willing to play.

"How kind of you to join us Lady Samos." He greeted, his eyes winking darkly as he observed me. I crossed my legs and then pouting slightly I blinked my lashes up at him and insisted, "Why, I wouldn't miss it for the world, Shade."

A few of the Reds present narrowed their eyes at my wiles before turning back to Shade and settling in for the rest of the lesson. Maggie looked over her shoulder at me, and then stuck her tongue out in a childish manner before Isabella whispered something in her ear and she turned around. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that Mare and Cal had heard about this morning and without a doubt Cal would beat me into the ground for it. Until then, I would have a little fun taunting Shade Barrow. No one was allowed to walk all over me and get away with it.

Shade turned his attention back to the training session, instructing the finer points before bringing Chelsea of up to demonstrate how the move looked in action, and how it was countered. The girl was a little too lanky though, and her limbs were uncoordinated as she tried to execute the kick. She looked like a pieces of grass being whipped around in the wind, and Shade tried to talk her through the move while she was in the middle of it, and that just added to the hilarity of the scene. Eventually, Shade had to execute the move himself, and although it looked flawless in nature, I saw the smallest of openings to counter him. When he finished the move, he put too much of his weight on his front foot, which would leave his back completely exposed to a sweeping kick to his ankles. I snickered as I pictured the consequences of his error, and his eyes immediately sought me out. I flicked my hair over my shoulder with a smile as he stood to his full height and everyone turned to look at me again.

"Do you find something funny?" He asked through a tightly clenched jaw. I shrugged as I pointed out, "Just the fact that you expect to teach these people when you yourself have such glaring errors in your own technique."

Everyone's eyes widened and they looked at Shade, their jaws all falling slack. Shade turned a scarlet red, and then clenching his fist at his side, he gestured to his side and said, "How about you come up and show everyone the glaring errors in my technique."

Oh, he had set himself up for this, I thought as I rose from my seat and passed through the crowd. Stepping up onto the platform I gestured to the audience and stated, "Would you like me to share with everyone what you did wrong or would you like to be an example?"

He smiled, inviting me to fight by turning his body into a defensive position. His stance was strong, and he definitely had an attack oriented mind, judging by the weight he put on his front foot. He tilted his head to the side and with a wry smile said, "Your move blondie."

I lashed out with a roundhouse kick, the exact one had been showing them, and made sure to aim for his head and not his midsection. It was flawless, and I smiled as my foot broke his inner defense. He disappeared though, and I ended up having to spin off balance to counter the sudden disappearance. I looked around wildly for him, my eyes scanning the platform, but he had vanished. Someone whistled above my head, and I looked up at the catwalks to see him leaning against one of the beams casually. My jaw dropped in surprise, and he raised his brow, taunting me. "You're gonna have to be quicker than that blondie."

Everyone broke out laughing, and I felt my skin burn as my blood boiled in humiliation. Sneering up at him, I hissed, "What, are you afraid to come down here and get your ass beat by a girl?"

Laughing, he vanished on the spot, and I stumbled backward in surprise as he appeared right in front of me. "Not really, cause she'd have to catch me first."

I lashed out with the palm of my hand, almost succeeding in snapping his nose in half, if he hadn't vanished again. I let out a hiss of frustration and he appeared behind me, his voice taunting as he said, "Come on blondie, I thought you said I had a weakness."  
I spun in backheel kick, and my foot breezing by his face as he barely leaned backwards out of the way. Screeching in fury, I shifted my weight onto my back foot and snapped out in a front kick to try and hit his midsection. He vanished again, and popped up next to me, his hands behind his back casually as he observed my stance. "You have too much weight on your front foot to perform that move."

I spun on my heel again using the momentum to try and drive my knee into his waist, but he stepped into the move unexpectedly and grabbed my knee, twisting it and throwing me completely off balance. Using my momentum against me, he forced me off balance and then flipped me onto my back. The air left my body in gasp as I hit the mat, my backside smarting with the hit.

The entire audience was laughing by that point, and I felt tears of humiliation starting to build up and blind me. Shade glanced down at me, and with a crooked grin that was beyond infuriating, he inquired, "Now, would you like me to share what you did wrong with everyone or would you like to be an example?"

I sneered up at him and he leaned down so that his next words were for me and me only, "Stay down there on your ass, Samos." He then turned around, his arrogant grin vanishing as he began to settle the crowd and instruct them on my mistake.

I let out a hiss of fury and lashed out with my foot, trying to hit him in his knees so that he fell on his too perfect face. He dodged it expertly and I rolled to my feet, spitting. "I'm not finished yet."

He raised his brow and shrugging, he replied, "Alright, but you better check that arrogance of yours. I'll just beat you with it again."

I straightened up in fury at his teasing and then dropped into a defensive position. He saw my shift of weight and smiling, he strolled to my front side causally and pointed to my foot. "Your foot's too straight, how do you expect to get power in your swing if you're losing it while you turn?"

"My foot is exactly where it's supposed to be." I snapped as I slowly turned to keep him in front of me. He tilted his head to the side as he observed me and then with another shrug, he said, "None of us fight cleanly, I figured you would have known that after you fought Mare."  
My hackles rose as I remembered that training day, how Cal and Maven had both leaped to her aid as I had her pinned down. I wish I had seen her bleed then, there would have been no hiding her traitorous nature then. Everything could have been avoided.

"I had her pinned down." I insisted as I lashed out with a cross check to his eye. He caught the move on his forearm and twisted my arm down and out, countering the move perfectly, and putting his right inside my defenses. He didn't even hesitate to drive his knee into my solar plexis, sending me backward and gasping for air. I clutched at my middle, but forced myself to remain on my feet. I wouldn't be beaten so easily. He might be able to move like a Swift, but I had fought Swifts before, and I knew how to counter them. Get them to move one way, and then counter shift your weight to go to the other way. They would be moving too fast to counter it.

Keeping that strategy in mind, I began a series of quick jabs and kicks, forcing him back to the edge of the mat, making sure not to expel too much momentum in one move, I forced him to only use quick blocks to keep me from actually hitting him. As we continued this deadly dance, moving across the mat toward the edge, he ducked and then dropped into a casual somersault that took him to the side and out of my reach. I turned then, and delivered a kick that forced him into a backhand spring to avoid the kick. I let out a triumphant laugh as I stepped into my jab and kick sequence again, pushing him backward and off balance. To my amusement, he had started to sweat, and his jaw was set tightly as he tried to keep up with me.

I had managed to push him to the very edge of the mat, and he stumbled as his foot slipped off the edge. Crowing triumphantly, I sent a final roundhouse kick at his side only for him to vanish, before appearing at my side and sweeping his foot to take my plant foot out from underneath me. I hit the mat on my back again one more time, the act pushing all the air out of my body in a final gasp of pain. Seeing that I was about to try and get up, Shade leaped on top of me to pin me down. Using his superior weight and size, he pinned me down with his hips and then grabbed my wrists to force them down onto the mat. He was heaving for breath, and dripping sweat from his hairline, and I could feel the quiver of his muscles as he forced me to remain underneath him. When I finished twisting and finally fell still, I looked up and met his eyes which were such an intense honey color that I was mesmerized by them.

They were the color of the honeysuckle flowers that used to grow in the garden of my family's summer palace. I remembered discovering them with Ptolemus when we had been very little. We used to eat them, licking the nectar off of our fingers as we tried to hide them from our parents. We of course had been found eventually, and our mother had been furious, ordering the planets removed immediately. For a moment, I was transported back to those lazy days in the middle of summer, when the heat hung in the air like a blanket and I would run after Ptolemus into the garden, hoping to find shade under the willow trees and someplace to be actually be children for once in our lives.

I felt my nostalgia like a knife in my heart, and for a moment, I also felt tears prickling in my eyes. The feeling didn't last long though. Shade glanced down at me curiously, his animosity melting for a moment as he took in my mercial change. Seeing his expression, I glared up at him and then spit, "You cheated!"

He sat up, his expression not changing a whit, as he put all his weight on my middle again to keep me pinned down. He pushed his long dark hair out of his eyes, and watched me curiously. His arrogance had vanished, and around his heavy breathing he whispered softly, "Don't ever forget who you're fighting."

Stepping up, he rose off of me and then turned to crowd to walk through his defense, using my attack as a perfect example of what they would be up against. I propped myself up then, looking up at him. He had fought cleanly, cleaner than his sister, the only exception being the use of his ability in the end to get himself out of the tight spot I had put him in. He hadn't exactly cheated, he had used the gifts he'd been given, just as I had used my superior knowledge of fighting moves to force him onto a defensive. No matter how much I claimed to hate him and how cocky and annoying he could be, Shade Barrow was an outstanding fighter.

(/)

The training room cleared out as everyone left, laughing and helping those that had sustained a few knocks during their sparring. I waited until they had all cleared out, and then followed Shade toward the back of the room where he was putting away some of the sparing sticks. I picked up a few that he had left behind for the second trip, and carried them across the room to him.

He turned around and started in surprise upon seeing me behind him, and taking them from my arms, he said, "You shouldn't sneak up on people around here, that's a good way to get your ass whooped."

"I figured you already did that enough today." I grumbled as I looked away. He glanced at me over his shoulder, that cocky grin back as he leaned against the pole next to him and said, "I guess I did, didn't I?"

"Don't be so smug about it. I just came to thank you for the training session." I snipped as I turned on my heel to walk away. His hand snapped out though and grabbed my arm, flipping me back around. I glared at him and he sighed before letting go and whispering, "You have a wicked backheel by the way, you almost got me."

"Thanks, but almost doesn't win fights." I huffed before turning and going to leave again. He threw the rest of the gear down into a bin, and hurried after me, his long strides allowing him to catch up with me. Stepping in front of me to bar my path, he held out his hand to stop me from walking anymore and insisted, "If you had just been patient though, just waited out the fight instead of attacking the whole time, you would have won."

Rolling my eyes, I tried to step around him, but he stepped in front of me. I growled and then tried to step the other way, but he continued the dance, his steps measured and practiced as he kept me from progressing. "I'm serious. You are an amazing fighter, but you rush into things, and don't take the time to learn your opponent."

"I know enough about you, thank you very much." I sneered as I tried to step around him on final time, but he stepped in my path again and I ran into him. I stumbled backward and then screeching in fury, I pushed him with both hands and shouted, "MOVE!"

"No." He said calmly. My shove hadn't even moved him, in fact, he even appeared slightly amused with my reaction. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. You get so frustrated, so impatient. Just wait it out, let me speak and I will let you pass."

"Or," I growled, as I forced the metal under his feet to buckle, eliciting a cry from him as it closed around his ankles and trapped him, "You could stay right there and let me pass."

I walked around him and he waved his arms comically, trying to keep his balance as he reached for me. I casually stepped away and then leaned closed to bat my lashes and whisper, "Two can cheat at a game you know."

He reached for me and almost fell over, had I not forced the metal up to his knees to keep him balanced. With a laugh, I turned on my heel and continued out of the room. He glared at me over his shoulder and shouted, "Samos! Get back here and let me go!"

"How about you hop out of it you little rabbit, it's what you're good at." I teased as I left the room. Even as I walked down the hallway back to the legion quarters, I heard him screaming my name in fury. I could only smile though as I walked away, that should teach him to try and tell me what to do.

 _(/ **Archeon: The Silver Court** /)_

Samson Merandus was the only person that was allowed to approach the kings dias without an invitation, and he was the only one who was allowed to lean into the king's ear and whisper. The court whispered about him though, the head of the Merandus house now that his sister was gone. He had become the king's Primary Aid, and traveled with him everywhere, the two of them far too young to be in such positions of power, which only drew more grumbles from the court. As soon as those grumbles were heard though, they were silence by some unknown force. Many suspected it to be Samson himself, and as far as anyone was concerned, it was him.

Today was no different. There was a small play in court, performed by a group of reds that King Maven had allowed into the throne room, out of the goodness of his heart, as he had claimed. They had been shaking like leaves the entire time though, and so the performance was rocky at best. Maven had watched the whole thing though, with a catlike grin as he observed. The main lead was a young boy who halfway through the performance became so nervous that he had to step out holding his lines to read. As he read, he glanced up at Maven and then looked down quickly to continue reading. Sitting up straighter in his throne Maven said with a laugh, "I'm no master of theater, but I do believe that eye contact is very important."

The boy could only let out a soft cry of terror as he clutched his papers tighter and glanced down at them to read again. As he began, the door off to the side opened slowly and Samson slipped through it. He paused at the foot of the dais as he stepped into the room, and then waited for Maven to notice him before stepping up and crossing behind the throne. He leaned down on Maven's right and whispered into his ear, "We've intercepted a transmission from the Guard."

Sitting bolt upright in his throne, Maven glared down at the performers, and then let his glare melt into a grin of mild pleasure as he stated, "Sentiles, please show our lovely guests to their chambers, it's a pity that we won't get to see the rest of the performance. It was rather… enlightening."

He rose from his throne, dismissing court with a bored wave as he followed Samson out of the massive hall. Everyone bowed deeply to him as he passed, their action drawing a prideful grin to his features. Finally, they bowed to him without mumbling, without question. He was in command, he was the King now, and he planned to remain as such for the rest of his life.

Of course there were some things he could never have now, like Mare Barrow at his feet, pleading for mercy as he gave the order to terminate her. Killing her little Newblood friends would have to suffice for now. He glanced over his shoulder as the Sentiles grabbed the performers and began to lead them out. The young main performer was led off to the side though, and Maven grinned ferally as he let out cries of terror and began to thrash wildly. He had to have known that he couldn't come into the court without Maven knowing about his blood. He would still serve his purpose though, in providing further entertainment in the Bowl of Bones that night.

As the exited the throne room, Samson glanced over his shoulder at the other performers who were being led down a hallway behind them, crying for their comrade. "I thought you didn't know."

"Of course I knew," Maven snipped before stalking toward his offices, that had once belonged to his father, and should have belonged to his brother. Oh it felt good to think that, that they were _his_ , and not his brother's. Everything that should have been Cal's was his now, Cal's crown, his, Cal's throne, his, Cal's kingdom, his, even Cal's betrothed had eventually become his. The only thing he could have possibly wanted now though was gone. Mare Barrow should have been his, whether she wanted to be with him or not was immaterial. She belonged to him.

They arrived at the ornate door to the office, and Maven slipped inside, into the shadows of the room, where he knew he belonged. How he missed them when he was gone. He didn't know what possessed him to step out of them anymore. It was so much easier to do things in the dark, to pull strings where no one could even see them, to manipulate the sheep to think he was one of them. Now it was so much harder to get things done, he had to be so abrupt to even so much as execute a plan. No wonder his brother was such an obvious buffoon. He never had to learn how to work in the dark, he only knew how to order, how to play in the light. The best secrets were the ones that remain shrouded in shadow.

"What did you learn from the transmission?" Maven inquired as he sank into the heavily ornate chair behind his desk. Smiling to himself, he stroked the worn wood. So many Calores had sat behind this desk, and had run a country. So many first born sons, how wonderful that he was the second born and was sitting behind it. His brother was the final crack in a perfect castle of glass, and he was the one that would get to reshape the whole monstrosity into exactly what he wanted.

Samson crossed to the window and glancing out at the heavily falling snow, he said, "Mare Barrow is alive."

Maven's neck almost broke as his head snapped up to glare suspiciously at Samson. "Oh?" He asked evasively, his fists clutching the arms of his chair desperately.

"Yes, she was spotted in Harbor Bay with Tiberius. Also, it turns out that Evangeline Samos has been a spy the whole time."

Maven let out a barking laugh, and shaking his head, he said, "The message must be a lie. Evangeline would never-"

Samson glared at Maven over his shoulder, and the younger man fell to sudden silence. Reaching up to adjust the collar of his suit, he whispered, "Interesting, are you sure it wasn't planted for us to find?"

"No, my men are positive that it is genuine." Samson replied with frown. He believed himself to be one who wasn't questioned, and normally, he wasn't. Maven shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the secret men that Samson used to get so much of his information. He was never allowed access to them, and the mere thought that there were people out there that weren't under his command made him nervous. He trusted his uncle more than anyone else, but there was only so much trust you could give to a wolf. Samson reminded him of his mother, and now that she was gone forever, he had found himself clinging to his uncle desperately.

"Well then," Maven said as he shifted to hide his discomfort at the thought of what this information meant, "I suppose I shall tell Ptolemus tonight." He would of course, but the first bit, that was his to deal with. If Mare Barrow was alive, then she would be brought before him, and she would choose either him or his brother, safety, or a pyre. There would be no more running. The three of them were running around each other in circles, but he would catch them, he knew that he always would.

Samson nodded, at Maven's words and then stated coolly, "She will have to be removed."

Smiling in the darkness, Maven nodded and replied, "Yes, she will."

(/)

Later that evening, Maven called Ptolemus Samos up to his box in the Bowl of Bones. He waited patiently until he heard the larger man's heavy steps, and when he heard the Sentiles shift and allow Ptolemus passage into the box, he forced his smile down and replaced it with his solemn mask. He found it so much easier to transition and hide him feelings now. Maybe he was the empty monster everyone thought he was, but if that was true, he was exactly what he needed to be to rule this country.

"You wished to see me, Your Majesty?" Ptolemus asked, not even trying to hide his use of the title begrudgingly as he bowed. Maven glanced at him and then waving at the seat next to him, he nodded, and sighed heavily as he said, "I'm afraid I have news on Evangeline."  
Ptolemus straightened up, his eyes wide in hope and maybe even joy, but his expression was still wary, he had heard Maven's use of the word afraid, and he knew what that could mean. He still sank into the chair next to Maven though, like a dog looking for scraps, Maven thought gleefully.

Below them, the young man from earlier was battling for his life with a Strongarm from the Carros house. He was slight, but the Red boy possessed an ability strikingly similar to a Greenie. He could manipulate the terrain around him, and the only reason he was still alive was because of the massive sand dune he had created to put himself above his opponent. He wouldn't be able to run forever though, and it was only a matter of time before he was defeated.

Ptolemus turned his gaze back to the fight, and licking his lips nervously, he inquired, "What have you heard? Is she alive?"

Maven had to stifle a grin at his companion's nervous stature. Like all of the people in his court, Ptolemus had learned that Maven didn't give away information for free. Information was power after all, and no one gave away power for free. Shifting in his seat to get more comfortable, Maven watched the Red boy slip and fall down his own sand dune, falling into the pit with his opponent. "Yes, she is alive, for now."

Ptolemus narrowed his eyes suspiciously and then inquired carefully, "For now?"

"I'm afraid we have uncovered a bit of information that may hinder our rescue attempts." Maven informed sadly, relying on his feelings of disappointment at the state of the match below him. He had hoped that it would last a little longer, now he would have to actually pull another Newblood from the cells to satiate everyone.

"What's happened?" Ptolemus whispered, for the first time sounding obviously worried. In the low light of the box, his features were obscured by shadow. Maven could only make out the slightest of frowns that danced across the Magnetron's lips before it disappeared under a mask of cool indifference. Maven couldn't help but crack a smile at Ptolemus' struggle, and he was forced to turn away to hide it as Ptolemus glared at him.

Stifling the grin, he shifted in his seat once more and looked down to watch the Strongarm grab the Red by his legs and throw him across the arena. "It has been brought to my Aid's attention that Evangeline…" he trailed off, pondering how he should phrase his next statement. In the end, he decided that stating it bluntly would produce the most desired effect, although hinting at it would make Ptolemus start questioning everyone else around him, until all he could trust was Maven himself, and if that became the case, Maven would have him like a fish on a hook.

"Well, that she was spying for the Guard." He left the comment out there, waiting to see Ptolemus' reaction. He wasn't disappointed. The Magnetron's face paled, and his hands gripped the edge of the chair so tightly that they started to splinter. The rage passed quickly though, and was suddenly replaced by what Maven could have sworn were glassy eyes, was Ptolemus Samos crying? That was possibly the strangest thing Maven had ever witnessed. After years of knowing the man, he had just assumed that he never felt anything except for bloodlust. This monster knew pain then, knew it as well as any human being. All monsters were once human though, that much Maven believed, and he knew it to be true.

The reaction should have been expected though. The Samos siblings were close, and always had been. Maven had known that this would destroy him. Ever since Delphie he had been scouring Norta for his little sister, tearing apart the villages that Maven left behind in his fiery wake. Now that this information was on the table though, he would be desperate to destroy the people that had tainted Evangeline, which meant he was one more rabid dog that Maven could let loose on the Guard.

Eventually, when the silence between them became has become brittle enough to shatter, Ptolemus growled, "What are you going to do about it, Your Majesty?"

Maven sighed, feel the balloon of worry escape his chest. Ptolemus had slipped, and now that he had taken the bait, he was Maven's, body and soul. "I'm afraid, and I'm deeply sorry, but… she must be treated like every traitor."

Ptolemus swallowed heavily, the only sign that he was still affected by the information. "Your Majesty, I beg you-"

"I'm deeply sorry, I really am, but she must be removed. You know the law, Ptolemus." Maven tried to put a drip of solemn understanding into his voice, and he was pleased to see how well he succeeded. The older man had bought into his act, and now, now he would do anything Maven asked of him.

Sure enough, Ptolemus ran a hand along his jaw, his eyes deeply troubled as he whispered, "I understand Your Majesty, and I ask that you let me be the one to do it. She's my sister, and I-I..."

"I understand Lord Samos. You have my permission." Maven replied, his tone cool, and dipping toward indifference. Now he had to make Ptolemus believe that he had moved on from the subject, that he felt the same about of consideration for her as he did for everyone else in his court. Evangeline was not above anyone, and if Ptolemus took the hint about that, he would pass the feeling on to everyone else, and the court would know that no one was safe under his reign. He needed them to believe that he was the wolf, and they were the sheep. He would leave the flock alone, as long as one of them didn't dare to step into his domain and question the boundaries.

The silence grew heavy around them once more, and Ptolemus rose then, taking the hint that the conversation was over and he was being dismissed. Bowing deeply to Maven he turned to leave, only for Maven to put the last nail in his coffin.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Maven said with a sad sigh, which only brought a solemn nod from Ptolemus'. He returned the action, plastering what he hoped was a commiserating expression on his features. Then he turned back to the action in the arena below as all around the box, the crowd exploded into applause as the Strongarm drove a metal beam into the Red boys head, ending his struggle forever.

* * *

 _A/N_

 _Hello lovely readers! So few announcements for ya'll. First off, if you have not yet read **geezjennibee's Silhouettes** , **GO READ IT NOW!** She is outstanding at keeping everyone in character, and if you're looking for a super interesting twist on the Glass Sword ending check it out! I honestly adore her story, and she is the most amazing person ever, so go read, go, go (makes shooing motions). Also, if you are a Marecal fan, we have a Forum and a Community! My amazing beta created both and you're more than welcome to join both! Just look under the communities and forum tabs at the top of the page if you're on the computer._

 ** _Alright, Question time!_**

 ** _Do you think Ptolemus will be able to kill Evangeline if it comes down to it?_**


	7. Chapter 6

_(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

As I walked through the quiet mess hall, I rubbed my ears unconsciously, trying to stop the slight ringing that sometimes still haunted my senses. Even though it had been a few days since the mission, my hearing still felt muffled, and sometimes I would wake in the middle of the night with the alarm ringing in my ears, jerking me to reality. I would sit covered in sweat, my heart racing, and the smell of smoke heavy in my mind still. Mare would still be asleep, and I would set my hand softly on her arm before rolling over and trying to go back to sleep.

This morning, I had risen early after my nightmare, deciding that I needed to walk around before Mare woke. She had been avoiding me ever since we had gotten back, and her avoidance hurt more than my ears. In the medical tent she had sat next to me, but every time I tried to make conversation, she ignored me, or glared at me until I fell to silence. She had even started sleeping on the farthest side of the bedrolls we had put together. She didn't know that I had found a bag of her things, packed and ready to leave at moments notice. It shouldn't have surprised me, or hurt as much as it had. Mare wasn't a big fan of facing her problems. She prefered to scamper away from them, and lick her wounds before starting over.

I didn't want to admit that I felt miserable without her warmth next to my side. She didn't seem to want to admit any weakness either, because she seemed perfectly willing to keep me at an arm's distance. I wished she would just tell me what was wrong though. She wouldn't fix it herself, which meant I would have to do it. I didn't see how she expected me to fix anything if I had no idea what was actually wrong though.

As I passed one of the many tables, a group of Reds glared at me, and then shifted to bow their heads and whisper to each light was dim enough that I couldn't make out all of their faces, but most of them I recognized, and that was the scary part. I frowned in suspicion at their action, and my suspicion only grew when I saw Seth sit down at the head of the table and start speaking. I passed them against my intuition, receiving a glare from Seth, that was enough to melt steel. Before anyone could notice the look though, he turned to look at a young woman who was sitting next to him, whispering something urgent into his shoulder so that I couldn't see her face.

Slowly, I turned my gaze to avoid his, and continued toward the table where I seen Evangeline sitting when I came in. There was a wide berth around her, with people having decided that she was someone that they'd rather not get close to. She was stirring her coffee with a piece of metal that she had bent into a weak looking spoon, and staring at the wall next to her, her chin resting in her hand. She could have been just sitting at a table in her family's town house, but I knew better. Her mind was there, surrounded by the colors and the warmth of a crackling fire that had been started to keep out the winter chill. Deep down though, she knew where she really was.

Fixing a glare onto my features, I yanked the chair across from her back, and sat down. If we were going to have this conversation, I would need to at least have the table between us in case she decided to leap across and take me down for even coming after her. She glanced up a few seconds after I sat down, and with a huff she growled, "Just get on with it already."

"I will, right after I ask you what the hell possessed you to drag a little girl around by her hair." I insisted as I leaned forward. Maggie had come running toward me as soon as I arrived in the legion's quarters, and had cried about what Evangeline had done. Mare had been furious with her, and had insisted on dealing with the problem, which ended up being the only conversation we had had. It hadn't gone well either, and afterward, I figured that I had only pushed her away more.

Her dark gaze snapped to mine at my accusation, and with a glare of her own she hissed, "She wouldn't shut up and I couldn't sleep, so I dealt with the problem."

I narrowed my eyes at her as she lifted the coffee cup up to take a delicate sip. Reaching across the table and yanked the cup from her hands, spilling the liquid all over the table and out hands. She winced as soon of the burning liquid nipped at her hand and shook her hand out in response. Her gaze snapped to mine, and with a sneer she opened her mouth to spit something at me, but I spoke, interrupting her before she could start. "Maggie is not just any little girl, Evangeline. You picked a fight with a little girl that could make you rip your own hair out of your head."

Her mouth closed then, and she frowned in speculation, her eyes suddenly sparking with curiosity. "What is the extent to what she can do?"

"We don't know. She hasn't discovered any limits."

Evangeline at least had the decency to dip her head and curse in awe. "You have a whisperer, and you didn't bother to tell me?"

"I figured she spoke for herself. Maggie can be quite vocal." I commented dryly. God did I know that was true. I dealt with her on a daily bases and had witnessed some of her worst tempers. She was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to be. But she could also be the most innocent child I had ever met. She tended to run around making daisy chains, and putting them on people's heads, but on the spin of a dime, she could be running around screaming and causing chaos. Both Mare and I had dealt with both instances, and both could be troublesome. She could demand attention and cry until she got it, or she would sit in silence, brooding about something or another.

Evangeline frowned and looked away after my comment, her expression distant as she whispered, "Are whisperers always so loud and obnoxious?"

"She's a little kid Evangeline..." I began, my tone dropping to a soft whisper. She would do well to remember that. Maggie may not have been a typical child, but she was a child none the less and deserved to have as normal of a childhood as she could get in these times.

"So were we!" Evangeline spit, her eyes like steel as she leaned forward and hissed under her breath, "Or did you forget that you and Ptolemus went to the front when you were ten years old, because I do! I remember how both of you came back like shells."

Straightening in my seat, I whispered carefully, my tone dropping to a dangerous growl as I leaned toward her. "Of course I remember. I remember the day my father shoved a gun in my hands and told me that I needed to either take the gun or be killed by it. I know war Evangeline, but I do not want Maggie to know what I know."

"If she's a whisperer, she probably already knows." Evangeline commented dryly, while she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. Her eyes sought a point over my shoulder and frowning, she picked at the sleeve of her shirt and said casually, "Looks like you're in trouble."

I frowned before turning in my chair slightly to look over my shoulder at what she was referring to. Mare had walked through the doorway into the mess hall, her face stony as she crossed the room to grab tray and breakfast. She was dressed in training gear and her braid was pulled in a severe braid to keep it out of her face. She looked like warrior now, with lean muscles and a thin frame. Not that she hadn't been thin before, but now, it was all muscle and strength. My hand twitched into a fist instinctually and I looked away quickly to avoid meeting her gaze. Evangeline watched her with a raised brow before inquiring, "Normally she's with you. What did you do to piss her off?"

"I didn't do anything-" I started, but eventually I sighed and ran a tired hand down my face. Shifting in her seat, Evangeline shrugged and said with a coy smile, "You must have done something pretty unforgivable, she looks like a woman on a mission to avoid you."

"I did something on the mission and now she thinks I'm keeping secrets." I grumbled, not because it was false, but because it was the truth. I knew what I was doing, but I hadn't told Mare because it hadn't concerned her. It might have, just the slightest bit, but not completely. The information I had been after was my burden to bear, not hers.

"Secrets aren't good for relationships, or did you not learn that with Maven?" Evangeline quipped, her eyebrow raising, before she met my glare with a smile. "What were you doing?"

"I was looking for information on someone, last known whereabouts."

She frowned and then glancing at Mare who was speaking with one of the Guards men that had come up behind her. She didn't question me, then again, Evangeline knew when to back off. It was one of the only things I had liked about her. She knew when to keep her mouth shut and not ask questions. I figured she wouldn't say anything else, but she set her chin in her hand and inquired, "So how is the little one taking the break up then?"

Throwing a glare in her direction, I shifted in my seat to face her again and whispered, "This conversation isn't over."

"It looks like it's about to end." She replied with a wan grin and gestured with her head to Mare who was making her way toward us. I frowned, but Mare passed us, completely ignoring me. Evangeline laughed softly and then shaking her head she said, "She must be livid with you."

"Yeah, well I'm still livid with you over what you did to Maggie." I replied cooly, drawing her eyes and halting her laughter immediately. Evangeline shifted in her seat and pursing her lips she growled, "Oh, so you're going to punish me or something?"

I knew I should punish her, and if I did, Mare might lay off of me a little bit. She had insisted on being the one to speak with Evangeline so that she could punish her, but I had assured that I could handle it. She had huffed at that, grumbling about me going soft on Evangeline. My punishment would not be soft though, and would probably mortify her. Smiling cooly at Evangeline, I shrugged and replied, "That's not a bad idea. I think I have something in mind too."

She leaned forward across the table, her expression icy as she went to reprimand me, and put me in my place. I held up my hand though, forcing her to silence as I smiled wider at her. "Shade told me you're having a hard time with your patiences level. You know who's really good with patience?"

She growled softly, and I continued to smile as I rose from my seat and continued, "Shade Barrow is incredible patient. I think you should take a page out of his book…How about you work with him on it, once a day, for say… the next two weeks? That should be a good interval."

"You can't seriously think I'll actually show up." She said through a crooked grin, her eyes lighting up with malicious intent. Shrugging again, I looked down at her pitifully and said, "Well, then I suppose Shade will have to come get you. He'll teleport you into that training room too, and let me tell you, that is not the most comfortable thing to do in the morning."

She had opened her mouth to argue, but I was already walking away. Let her stew on that for a little while. No doubt she would take her frustration out on Shade, but from what I had heard, he was more than capable of dealing with her. Maybe, maybe she would actually learn from him though, learn a little bit of patience and understanding. It would serve her well if she did. Evangeline could be meticulous in everything, but what she actually needed to be eloquent with. If Shade could rub off on her, she would eventually be a force to be reckoned with. If they didn't tear each other apart during the process.

I dodged through the crowd that was starting to form as more people came in during the breakfast hour. Mare was sitting at a table with Gisa, eating the mush that must have been made of crushed up apples, because I could smell the cinnamon spice from across the room. I approach slowly, like I was about to interact with a wild animal. Which wasn't completely off target. The look in Mare's eyes was feral, add her dark circles, and short temper, and I was essentially dealing with a very, very angry animal.

Her eyes caught mine as I crossed the room, and the look she gave me was meant to keep me from coming any closer, but I continued on my path, pointedly ignoring the look. Her eyes narrowed and she turned to speak with Gisa again, who looked extremely uncomfortable standing between the two of us like this. Glancing over her shoulder and seeing my approach, Gisa went to leave, but Mare grabbed her arm and forced her back into her seat before feverishly whispering something to her. My insides burned with irritation, now she was just being childish.

"Are we ten years old again?" I asked heatedly as I stood on the other side of the table from her. Gisa sighed and set her head in her hand, while Mare looked the other way. She couldn't keep avoiding me though, and since it had been a couple days since the mission and everything that had happened, I was going to end this now, whether she wanted it to end or not.

"Either you talk to me, Mare, or we let everything we've built fall apart." I insisted softly, and for a moment, I saw her flinch. Her hand curled into a fist on her thigh, and I tensed, waiting for the biting comment that didn't come. Instead, she shoved her chair back from the table, making everyone look our way. Standing up she kicked her chair in, drawing even more stares, and then whispered something to Gisa before walking around the table.

Gisa buried her head in her hands to hide her embarrassment, and Mare continued to storm toward the aisle and the exit of the mess hall. Her avoidance only added gasoline to my argument though, and before I could really stop myself and think about the situation, I was after her, my strides catching up with her just as she was passing through the doorway.

I grabbed her elbow in a vice like grip and spun her around to face me. She pushed me back and hissed, "Don't touch me."

"Why? Talk to me, Mare!" I insisted in the same dangerous tone. She huffed in annoyance and turning to pass through the doorway completely, entered the hallway that was packed with people by this point. All of them still groggy from waking up, so they didn't notice the two of us about to go to blows in front of them. I stormed after her, shouting her name as she pushed her way through the crowd. I eventually caught up with her on the platform next to the waterfall, and finally managed to grab onto her arm and turn her to face me. She glared at me and whispered, "Let go of me."

"We need to talk and you know it."

"I think we've talked enough." She grumbled as she yanked her arm from my grip. Her expression was still stoney, but I could see that behind her eyes, she was hurting. She wasn't running though, she was staying, which meant that she might be listening. Softly, I reached out and set my hand on her arm. She flinched slightly at the touch, but I rubbed my thumb along her arm softly, trying to soothe her. I tried not to show how much her flinching away from me, hurt, because that would just show a chink in my arm. Fighting with Mare meant that I couldn't have chinks, I couldn't have holes. I needed to be flawless when I stood before her, because she would use every advantage she had. Mare had learned to fight in the Stilts, which meant when she did fight, she fought dirty.

"What are you so upset about? Tell me so that I can fix it." I whispered softly, dropping to a soothing tone that I hoped would calm her further. It was common technique that I had developed for when she was upset. When she woke from a nightmare, which wasn't all that often anymore, she would reach for me, crying my name softly. I would hold her then, whispering that she was safe, and that I was there. I wasn't sure how much of that she believed, but it always calmed her down, and it seemed to work now. Her eyes widened for a second at the fact that I was even offering to have a conversation about the problem, before they narrowed in suspicion. She didn't respond though, and we stood in awkward silence for a few seconds. I sighed, deciding then and there that this was going to be a very hard conversation.

"Mare, please. Talk to me." I set both my hands on her shoulders to keep her from running, and tried to look her in the eye to ask her. She looked away though, her expression pained as she said, "You're keeping secrets from me."

"So are you." I murmured, drawing her fiery gaze, but she didn't deny it. My chest constricted as she turned her gaze away again. Her expression was carefully constructed to hide her emotion as she whispered, "What were you doing on that mission Cal? You...we could have died…"

"It was my business, I should have told you what I was going to do, but I-"

"I don't care if it's your business or not, I'm tired of the secrets." She hissed, turning on a dime as she interrupted me. My heart hammered in my chest as I realized the implication of my words. I watched as she started to pull away from me slowly, her eyes refusing to meet mine little by little. She wasn't upset about my actions on the mission, she was upset because she didn't know why. She wanted to know what I was doing, and why I was doing it. I couldn't tell her though, not yet.

Next to us a young man was walking by, his steps a slightly staggered. My eyes flew to him for a moment, before looking back to Mare. He looked a little pale, a little sick, but it was probably nothing that we should worry about.

I squeezed Mare's shoulders to try and remind her that I was just trying to fix the problem, and whispered, "Mare please, it doesn't matter anymore…"

"It does matter Cal! You could have died, or we could have been caught and we would have been brought to Maven. What would have happened to the Guard… the Legion?" She accused, as she pulled herself away from me and gestured around her. "There's already dissent in the ranks, and we can't afford to have people with different agendas in the higher levels."

I tensed at her words, and the implication, before glancing around to make sure no one had heard her comment on the dissenters. The only person around us though was the young man who was leaning against the wall looking more worse for the wear. He looked like he was sweating now, and was on the verge of collapsing. Mare grabbed my attention though, and pulled it back as she tried to yank herself away from me. I turned my gaze back to her and then leaning close so that only she could hear what I was saying, I growled, "We need to take this conversation somewhere private-"

"You were the one who wanted to talk, so now we're talking!" She shouted. I flinched and glanced over at the man who had stumbled up and was making his way towards us. I stepped closer to her, to try and block the man's path, but Mare pushed me away and shouted, waving her arms and mocking my earlier tone, "You wanted to talk! So here we are Cal! This is talking!"

The man stumbled into my shoulder from behind and then grabbing Mare, shouted something at her, before coughing blood into her face. Mare turned her head away at the last second and pushed him away in surprise. He stumbled comically and fell backwards, his chest heaving as he rolled onto his side and continued coughing up blood. His skin was a waxy yellow, and up close, I could see that his eyes were bloodshot and cloudy. His body shook with fever, and his skin was covered in a film of sweat that was soaking through his thin clothing.

I stepped over him though, my thoughts magnetized toward Mare, who had turned to look down at the man. I had seen speckles of blood on her neck, and now that she had faced me head on, I realized the damage that had been done. I whispered her name in terror, as I pulled her close and went to wipe the blood off her face. She pushed me away though and wiped at her own face choking, "I'm fine, I'm fine. I closed my mouth."

She sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than me though, and I watched in panic as she yanked her blood speckled jacket off and bunched it up in her hands. There was a small splatter of blood near her temple and some of it was in her hair near her ear. She used the clean edge of her jacket to wipe at the blood, smearing it across her forehead and near her eye. I snapped to action then, yanking the jacket away and using my sleeve to wipe the smear away from her eye. Years of the front with infection spreading like death had taught me one or two things about staying healthy. The number one rule had been to avoid any internal bodily contact with the infected fluid. There was no telling if Mare had ingested any of it though, until she came down with the symptoms.

At our feet, the man cried for help and continued coughing, his body curling up into a tight ball to try and prevent pain while he seized with the racking cough.

"We...we need to take him to the medical tent." Mare whispered as she looked him over, her face paling as she pulled away from me, and crouched down to grab his feet.

Mare didn't hesitate, so neither did I. I dropped down by his head, wrapping my hands under his arms to lift him with her. We stumbled toward the medical area then, with him heaving for air and foaming slightly at the mouth between us.

The medical area had been moved a few weeks ago into a tentatively permanent spot in the alcove above the main civilian quarters. It was a bigger area and could account for more equipment and personnel to provide for a growing rebellion that was steadily participating in more and more battles. The move had been short, but the trip to it was nowhere near that, and both Mare and I stumbled up the stairs with the man, trying not to drop him over the side by mistake.

He convuled repeatedly as we carried him into the main tent a few mintues later, and I couldn't bear to look down to see what was happening. Mare shouted for a medic, who sprinted to us, and immediately began to clear a space for the man in the corner.

We dropped him unceremoniously into the cot then, and the medic yanked the curtains around the bed closed, before pulling a mask and gloves on. Another nurse followed him in, dressed in all white, who put a mask and gloves on as well before leap for Mare and checking her over. She screamed questions at her over the man's agonized cries, and tried to get Mare's attention to take her vitals, thinking she was sick as well.

Mare stood in complete shock though, watching as a male nurse came in and set up an IV and began looking for a vein, while the man they were trying to save heaved on the table and tried to flail his arm around to hit them.

The nurse trying to speak with Mare grabbed onto her arms and shook her to get her attention, but she only backed up in terror and ran into me. I couldn't take anymore of the scene before me, so I wrapped my arms around Mare from behind and spun her around so that we were both facing the fabric wall of the tent. Mare didn't stop looking though, she twisted her head to look around at what could be in her future if any of the infected blood got in her body. My stomach turned at the thought of what would happen if it did, and suddenly, it felt like there was a timer between us, steadily counting down to Mare's turn on the examination table.

 _( **/Coldwater Village: near Harbor Bay/** )_

Samson stood a cool attention in the main administration tent of his camp, looking over the maps before him. His forefinger of his left hand tapped softly at the wood of the table, and his other finger traced the border of the king's state. He twisted his lips in a sneer as he traced the Choke, and then traced the line of the Nortian troops. It had receded recently with no explanation, and although Maven had claimed to be pushing the troops, there was no advancements into the Lakelander's line.

They would have to push the line eventually though, the Lakelands could not be allowed into the Choke. It would have been unheard off, and the nobles would panic. Sometimes, it was good to have a power hungry, war-loving king on the throne who pushed the line until there was only one man left standing. To bad that there had only been one of those in the recent war. Tiberius could have handled it no doubt, he had been raised under his father to do such, but he would have never been able to handle the politics of the court like his brother could. Not that Samson minded Maven, he was fantastic mouthpiece and tool. He had loved his little sister, but her son was weak and pathetic. He was obsessed with getting the Barrow girl back, and so he had formed such a petty hatred toward his brother. A man no doubt could have been killed with long term plans within plans. Instead, Samson's nephew has decided to take every opportunity he had to kill Tiberius and in response nothing changed, and nothing happened. The prince was still a throne in the crown's side, and Mare Barrow was also still alive to run around and give everyone hope.

The two of them were like a Shakespearean love story. Running around, proving that love triumphed over all, making the people believe such pathetic notions. Because of his idiotic nephew though, the two of them would die martyrs no matter what. They would die in each other's arms in battle, and the Scarlet Guard would put it everywhere, like the sick creatures they were. They would use it their advantage to paint them as two lovers trying to make their way in this cruel world, and thousands more would step up and replace and avenge them. Tragedies always worked that way, and there was no way for Samson to touch them without adding gasoline to the fire that the rebellion was creating.

He knew that eventually, Maven would figure out that Samson was directing him in a very specific direction, but for now, he was oblivious, and that was all that mattered. It would stay that way too, because Samson knew how to play a card when he had it. Maven thought he was building his own little army, when in fact, he was building it for Samson. The information that his men had found on Evangeline had been the perfect chance to pull Ptolemus Samos into the ranks, and until recently, Samson had been schmoozing members of the Piedmont Houses. He had been using his connections that he had meticulously built during his time there to speak with the king. Unfortunately, he'd run into the roadblock that was Anabel Lerolan.

The old woman was a force to be reckoned with, and was part of the reason Samson had been thrown out of the Piedmont court in the first place. Not that he couldn't get back in if he wanted to. He would just wait for the old hag to die and then return with a new agenda with no one to stand in his way.

The tent flap slapped against the pole as it was lifted to allow one of the Samson men in, interrupting his train of thought. Dressed in a the dark uniform that had flecks of navy blue and white to account for the Merandus house, the soldier had been hand picked only a year ago, and had proved himself excessively. He crossed his arm across his chest and bowed at the hip in a customary greeting. "Lord Meranadus, I have an update for you."

"What have you discovered Aaron?" Samson huffed in distaste at having his thoughts interrupted, as he turned from his maps, and faced the young man head on. Aaron rose from his genuflection, but kept his head bowed in respect as he reported. "We lost the trail of the Scarlet Guard's spy. He appeared to be making his way to the northern mountains, but he must have had help with disappearing."

"How unfortunate." Samson growled, but he kept his expression neutral. He had learned the punishment dealt in public could be so much more gratifying and rewarding. Aaron and his team would be punished, there was no doubt about it. That spy had been the best lead they had had to find the Scarlet Guard, and now, now he was gone.

"There's more sir." Aaron continued, his voice barely wavering, the only sign that he knew how much his actions had cost Samson. Raising his head, finally, he whispered, "There is a… sickness. It's passing through Harbor Bay and moving to outlying districts. It's killed thirty so far."

"How is it passed?" Samson asked, his interest piqued at the prospect. Illness was common in the squalor of the Red towns, and even more common in Harbor Bay where ships brought both cargo and infested vermin. Iit usually killed people, which was of no concern, but never so many so quickly.

"We believe it to be airborne sir, it's the only explanation for how it could be transported this quickly," Aaron replied, as he dipped his head once more and continued, "The men are afraid to remain in position."

Samson nodded in understanding, turning his back to Aaron once more. He glanced over the map, taking in the vast territory that was Norta. The serum that had been developed over the past year, was now being tossed aside by his narrow minded nephew. It could never serve it's intended purpose, but that didn't mean it couldn't be used for another. He had been stumped on how to transmit it through, how to pass it from person to person quick enough for it to perform efficiently without anyone noticing a pattern in its work. He'd thought of dumping it in the already filthy water or Red villages, or in the shipments of food that went out after the winter to pull people back from the brink of starvation. But if it were airborne, it would work faster than any other agent, wreaking havoc before anyone could figure out what was happening. An artificially concocted plague that would wipe out the nuisance that was steadily growing stronger among the Reds. It could work. He would just have to get his hands on all of the serum, and manufacture it in an airborne ready form, somewhere that his nephew wouldn't think to look...That was a plan for another time though, and at the moment, he had come to another conclusion that was much more presently gratifying.

"This spy that escaped, you said he was working in Harbor Bay?"

"Yes sir, he was discovered leaving there shortly after his comrade gave him up under interrogation." Aaron replied, relief showing on his face as he realized that Samson tone and demure had changed.

"How long ago was this sickness discovered?"

"A week sir."

"And our spy left only a few days ago?"

"Three to be exact."

Samson smiled, as he slowly peeled away the top map to reveal another underneath that was marked by circles and x's. He wouldn't have to find the Guard to destroy them anymore, how wonderful. "Well done Aaron, I'll over look your punishment this time. Tell the men they may leave Harbor Bay. They are to be checked for signs of the illness and if there are any, treated immediately."

Aaron bowed deeply, and began to back out of the tent and into the cold wind. He paused through, and straightening up he inquired carefully, "If you don't mind my asking sir, why am I not to be punished for losing the spy?"

"Because Aaron, your idiocy might have just won us this war. I won't have to hunt every member of the Guard down now."

Smiling wickedly, Samson teeth gleamed like razors in the dim light as he looked down at two small spots on the map that had yet to be searched. The mountain range up in the north had always seemed like such a bleak place to find the Guard. They would have no supplies up there, and they would be incredibly isolated. But they could also be slightly to west, in a burned out area that would be fitting of those roaches. It was no matter where they were now though, everything was about to change. Their hideout, no matter where it was, would be their tomb.

"Sir?" Aaron asked bewildered by Samson sudden change of mood still.

Laughing softly at Aaron's dimness and the prospect of the future, Samson took his pen and drew two large, red x's through both areas. "Nature will kill them for me. Their little spy will be bringing back a little more than what they bargained for."

* * *

 _A/N_

 _*Shuffling on stage* haha, hi everyone… so this is incredibly embarrassing, considering the fact that I promised that updates would be more constant… haha… funny story… *kicks all of my Advanced Placement textbooks into the fire that explodes behind me*. But I promise now that I will be churning out chapters (my beta rolls her eyes off stage and calls me a liar)._

 _Big news for me though, although all of you may not care. I'll be graduating high school in less than a month. I will be leaving for college, and moving halfway across the country, where I'll hopefully enter the school of science and letters to pursue a double major in biology and english. (: yay, more school! So since I've hit the point in my school year where it no longer matters if I actually do anything in class, I'll be posting chapters all the time, like we're talking novel long chapters, we're talking chapters out the wazoo! Anyway, I'm super excited because we are rapidly approaching shit hitting the fan in this story, and oh my god I'm so excited cause that's my fav thing to write. So be prepared cause all hell is about to break loose!_

 ** _Anyway, so question time!_**

 ** _Any thoughts on Samson?_**

 ** _I'm not gonna lie, I kind of like the way I write him. He's just so deliciously evil in my mind. (:_**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _(/_ _ **Evangeline**_ _/)_

I ducked under Shade's leg as he spun on his foot in a back heel roundhouse kick that could have taken my head of my shoulders if I hadn't ducked. I came up from my dodge and grabbed his arm after he followed through for balance. Wrapping my elbow around his, I twisted his arm in the direction he was going, and flipped him over my shoulder. He landed on his back with a thud, and I leaped on top of him, straddling his middle. His chest hitched under me as he tried to recover his breathing after landing so harshly. I heaved for breath above him, and throwing my hair over my shoulder I inquired, "So that's two in a row now, getting tired Barrow?"

He snorted, and slapping the ground with his palm to announce that he wanted to be released from my hold, he said, "Alright, alright, I get it."

Laughing, I leaned back and crossed my arms, keeping him in his vulnerable position a little longer while I recovered from our sparring. We had been going for three hours straight, warming up, and then going straight into fighting. We'd started out with using our abilities, but eventually we had become so invested in the simplistic moves that we ended up resulting to just fighting. It was nice to spar with him like that though. Cal had been right too, Shade was an outstanding fighter and his patients seemed endless. He'd put up with me for almost two full weeks and hadn't tried to kill me yet. I gave him props for that, especially since I had been baiting him the entire first week. I had hoped to get a rise out of him, but he had swatted away my pathetic attempts and had actually called me out on them multiple times.

Shade pulled his other arm from underneath my knee and ran his fingers through his hair, wiping some of the sweat off of his brow. His action drew my eyes down to his own, and I met hose depths without flinching. Underneath me, I could feel his chest rising and falling between my thighs, and I could feel his body trembling with exhaustion as he recovered slowly. He had been on the offensive for most of the fight, but I had pulled ahead at the end. I was proud of my patience, but I wouldn't admit that he was the one to teach it to me.

My stomach did a turn though as he looked up at me under heavy eyes and with a raised brow asked, "Are you planning on getting off of me any time soon?"

"Why, am I making you uncomfortable?" I smirked, but still my heart fluttered as he sighed and shifted to get more comfortable. I didn't register his leg moving though, until he had hooked it around my ankle and flipped us over so that I was underneath him.

I cursed loudly, and he only laughed and returned my smirk, his expression strangely alluring as he looked down at me. He was only a hairsbreadth away, and I could see the sheen of sweat on his forehead, and feel the soft puff of breath leaving his lips.

We both sat like that for a few seconds, until he coughed to fill the silence and rolled off of me. My heart sank as he stood though, and my stomach turned in disappointment. I hated to admit it, but I missed his warmth when he left.

Two full weeks with him had opened a whole new can of emotions, and I had been struggling to sift through those feelings lately. My feelings had really started to solidify though, over the past few days, but I wasn't as worried as I should have been. The emotions bubbling up had only been mounting though, and they were starting to invade not only my dreams but also my waking thoughts. I thought about him more, and about me with him. Sometimes, I caught myself thinking about him in ways that made me blush, and it always seemed that he caught me right then and there. I wasn't sure what was more embarrassing, that he caught me when I was vulnerable, or what I was thinking about.

Shade stepped off the platform and padded in his bare feet to grab one of the towels and drink from the water we had. He rolled his shoulders, stretching them out, and then glancing over his shoulder he asked, "You don't mind if I… it's just… it's pretty warm in here."

I blinked in surprise and then shook my head quickly to hide my blush as I stood up. He smiled and then looked forward again before yanking his shirt over his head and hanging it up. My stomach turned and I pushed my hair over my shoulder to hide the way I glanced him over from behind. I had been around a lot of men in my life, and had always handled them undressing perfectly well, but Shade Barrow was not most men.

Compared to my brother and Cal, he was lean everywhere, with taut muscle that rolled under his skin when he moved. He wasn't bulky anywhere, then again, Cal wasn't as bulky anymore either. Shade was still smaller though, with defined muscle that made most women in the Scarlet Guard sweat like sinners in church. I hated to admit it, but I was steadily becoming one of the girls that followed him around too. He didn't seem to notice though. He only saw one brunette that leaned on him and laughed like a pig constantly. I didn't want to admit either that when he didn't pay attention to me, I felt smaller and pitiful, which was unacceptable.

"You okay over there blondie?" He asked as he noticed me staring. I snapped to attention, forcing my burning skin to cool, and stood slowly to reply, "Yeah, sure, just thinking."

He snorted to hide his laughter at my retort, and then crossing to me, he handed me the towel and sat on the edge of the sparring mat. I sank down next to him, and wiping at my face and neck, I dared to break the silence and ask, "How's Mare?"

"She's good, they, ugh, let her out of isolation a week ago. She's perfectly fine, no signs of this thing."

"Huh." I muttered, both happy for him and curious. Mare had been the first to make contact with the disease that was spreading through the Scarlet Guard like a wildfire, and for that reason she had been shut away from everyone else, with only a medic going to check on her every hour. Cal had had an empty, desolate look in his eye the entire time they had her locked away. He had tried to remain in the compound in case she started to show signs of the symptoms, but he was never allowed to see her. Cal had been checked a little while later too, but had come up clean. He'd asked to be put in isolation with Mare though, just to make sure she was okay. They had denied him though, citing that he needed to stay healthy, and on Farley's orders, he was to be turned away if he tried to go see her.

Apparently Mare was perfectly healthy though, which was interesting, considering the fact that the medics had established that the virus was classified as extremely contagious and deadly. It had killed the spy that had returned from Harbor Bay, and had killed the three other people he had been rooming with in two weeks. It hadn't leaked out yet though, and so there wasn't that much panic, but people had started wearing makeshift masks, and they tended to sleep farther away from each other. When I been in the mess hall earlier, I had seen a woman yank her child away from a man who had coughed to clear his throat. Panic was almost as deadly as the virus itself, and you could see it starting to flare up in everyone's eyes. If the visus so much as got out, there would be a full scale war within the Guard.

I turned the towel over in my hands and then asked, "And that's not weird to you?" It had struck me as odd the moment he had mentioned it. Then again, I hadn't seen head of tail of Mare since she had returned from isolation. A rumor was starting to spark up in Phoenix Legion though, that Mare and Cal were in the middle of a nasty breakup. I wasn't surprised, those two were like gasoline and fire. Add one or the other and you were bound to see fireworks.

"Why would it be? I'm just glad my sister isn't dying in a cot right now." His tone warned me to watch my mouth and what I said. I only shrugged at his inference though, trying to make it appear as if I was merely curious, which I was. Mare hadn't fallen ill, even though the people who had only been in the room with first man for only an hour had gotten sick. It didn't add up.

"But she's not sick, and she's not getting sick either…" I began, trying to draw information out of him. Shade wasn't willing to give it though. His eyes hardened and his lips drew into a tight line.

"The medic told us that some people are just immune to these things. There's nothing more to it blondie." Shade growled as he rose and tossed his towel into the pile of his jacket and shirt. Gripping the course fabric between my fingers, I whispered, "What about the rest of us? Is it because she's a new blood? Are you immune?"

"I don't know blondie! I don't have all the answers." He shouted as he flipped around to glare at me. My chest constricted at his cold glare, but I didn't back down. I had already made a promise to myself that I wouldn't just let him tell me off anymore. I had dealt with much worse situations in my time at court. I had stood down many of the high level court ladies, and had earned a right to lift my nose in front of them. They respected me because I hadn't been afraid to return their glares, and now shouldn't have been any different. It was though, Shade didn't respond to force or icy glares. He responded to someone who gave off the perception that they needed to be protected.

"What if I get sick, I don't want to die you know." I replied softly, trying to get him to sympathize. Not that I wasn't actually scared, I was terrified, but I had had practice hiding it deep down where no one could see it. It had been leaking out though. My true feelings had started to stain my features, and the more I thought about it, the worse it had become. The recent virus had truly shaken me to the core though. I had seen the bodies of the people that had died when I went with Cal to check on the people who had fallen ill. They had been grotesquely misshapen, their eyes had been milky red with blood, and the smell that had permeated from them had twisted my stomach into knots.

As much as I wanted to hide how afraid those images had made me, I liked it when Shade was sympathetic, when his eyes softened to a honey gold and he sighed heavily, letting his shoulders rise and fall slowly as he expelled his breath. His lips would always turn down the slightest bit when he did so, making him look slightly more serious and older.

He didn't so much as let on that he cared about my thought though, because he only turned his back and shrugged. "You won't get sick. Cal's not sick, and he's been in contact with Mare." Shade argued, while he gestured toward the doors and in the general direction of the legion's chambers. Huffing, I crossed my arms and replied, "Oh that's really reassuring, considering the fact that they aren't staying together right now."

"Well that's… wait, what?" Shade choked as he blinked in confusion. He looked so cute when he did that too, when his brows scrunched together and his forehead crinkled. He did the same thing when he was thinking deeply too, and it was absolutely mesmerizing, not that I noticed it that often.

"They're having a… fallout." I whispered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, while I rose and walked by him to gather my boots. He frowned at my choice of words, and I glanced over my shoulder as I bent down to grab my things to see if he was looking, but he wasn't. Pursing my lips, I shrugged and tried not to think about it too much. I had a lot more important things to worry about than whether or not Shade Barrow liked me. Although that was slowly becoming more important, which scared me more than anything.

Shade sighed after he had digested the information, and pulled his jacket out from his pile of clothes and shrugged it on before zipping it up. He glanced at me then, and looking me up and down he asked softly, "Are you really that worried about getting sick?"

I glanced up at him, and saw that his head was tilted to the side, and that he had that soft look in his eye. My innards melted at the look, and my tongue froze in my mouth. My stomach felt like pile of lead that had dropped all the way down to my feet. How could he do this to me with only a glance? I didn't seem to even remotely have the same effect on him.

Slowly, I recovered from the shock of the initial look, and eventually I managed a tiny nod. I didn't usually get worked up over a look, but something about the way Shade looked at me sometimes, like I was a fragile bird, made my insides squirm with excitement and pleasure.

Shade reached out then, and setting his hand on my shoulder, squeezed softly. I felt my skin burn under his touch, and I wondered if he saw my eyes light up at his proximity. Before he could respond though, the doors into the training room opened and Farley strolled in. She was dressed in her typical uniform, and looked to be in one of the daily moods. Her brow was pulled tight and she looked like a taut wire. I shouldn't have been surprised, after all, her entire compound was about to become a disease ridden compound.

She took in our position and raised her brow at us, causing Shade to pull away quickly and cough to fill the silence. "Is everything alright Farley?"

My insides turned icy immediately after he pulled away. Was he that uncomfortable around me? Maybe it was just becuase Farley was here, and she was technically his commanding officer. Shade didn't seem to really act out as much around her, in fact, he seemed to keep his mood somber in her presence. For a moment, I wondered if something had happened between them. The always seemed to be whispering together, or talking softly with each other. Inf act Shade seemed to reserve some of his softest looks for her. Jealousy bit at my insides, and I tried to shove it down so that Farley didn't see it cross my features.

"I need to speak with you. It's private." She announced to the space between them, her eyes flicking to me momentarily as she mentioned speaking in private. Narrowing my eyes, I tried not to seem too offended, after all, these people did not trust me yet. I respected that though, and over time, I had come to respect them too. Farley was a good leader, and she and Cal had a habit to building off of each other that exhilarating to watch. The two of them could come up with a full mission plan, with briefing and training preparation in under two hours if they worked together. Lately though, they hadn't been seeing eye to eye as much, and I had noticed a sort of splintering. Phoenix Legion sometimes went out on missions for itself, with Torin, Chelsea, and Oscar going out to get supplies, and reporting to Cal and Mare instead of Farley.

The Legion was splintering from the Guard, I could see it, and I understood how that happened. When a branch of an army became too strong, it eventually needed to just separate and become it's own group. The Legion wasn't big enough to support itself though, and it needed the help of the Guard for housing and supplies. It made for a rather tense and awkward situation. If they didn't need those things, I had a feeling that they would have left to become completely independent from the Guard. Farley might not let them though, she needed them for power, for protection. She couldn't lose her biggest asset and she knew that.

What fascinated me though was the fact that Shade didn't belong to Phoenix Legion, he belonged to the Guard. He ate with the Legion though, and even helped train them sometimes, but he still mostly ran missions with the main group of soldiers. When I had asked him about it, he had dodged my question, and changed the subject quickly. He refused to speak about it, which only made me more curious. Why was he so uncomfortable with talking about it?

"Of course, wait here blondie." Shade stated as he walked over to Farley and bowed his head to listen to what she had to say. I strained my ears to listen to what they were talking about but only caught a few phrases before Farley noticed me leaning toward them and pulled Shade so that his back was to me and I couldn't hear.

She had been speaking with him about an emergency mission that would be run that night, at least, that was what I thought I heard. My interest was only piqued too by Farley turning Shade away to hide their conversation. Obviously, I was not supposed to hear what they were talking about. Shade was nodding though, as if he were agreeing with everything, and then glanced at me over his shoulder. I raised my brow when he did, and he seemed to sigh before looking back at Farley and saying something. Eventually, Farley nodded toward the exit and Shade sighed before looking over his shoulder and saying, "I have to go, but…"

"No, no, I get it." I grumbled, waving him away, "Please go do your job. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." My lips drew into a tight line, and I crossed my arms in frustration. Fine, if that was the way this was going to be, I was going to get myself on that mission, and nothing was going to stop me.

 _(/_ _ **Shade**_ _/)_

Farley brought me into her office that also served as her sleeping quarters on the other side of the compound near the command center. There were papers scattered all around the room, and empty plates that she must have not taken back to the mess hall. Shoving some of the papers and files on her desk to the side, she dug out a file and tossed it to me. It passed through the air, with the papers barely staying together before I caught it. It was a rather thin file that looked suspiciously confidential.

"What is this?" I asked as I flipped it open and leaned back against the wall as I read through some of the profiles inside. They were on all of the men that had died of the recent epidemic, but I noticed that there were a lot more files than there should have been. There were two or three children, and one or two more adults shoved in between the other profiles. My stomach turned as I glanced over the young baby faces of the children and then whispered, "I thought only four of the men had died."

"I kept the number low on purpose." Farley whispered as she turned her head away to hide the pain that flashed across her features. She refused to meet my eye and I set my jaw tightly before waving the file in front of her face, hissing, "You can't lie to the people about this, it's bound to get out, and if they find out we lied… they'll wonder what else were keeping, and Hector will use this against the council if he has to."

Hector had already started using things against the council and this would only fuel his fire. Recently, he'd taken to tossing Evangeline's name around, followed by a few derogatory remarks about Cal. I was glad that Evangeline hadn't heard about them though. If she did hear though, she didn't say anything about it. Then again, Evangeline hadn't really by saying a lot lately.

"You don't think I know that?" Farley barked as she snatched the file out of my hand and threw it onto her desk again. "I had to keep it a secret though! We don't have anything to treat this thing."

My heart leaped in my chest at that. We didn't have a cure, a treatment, anything? What about all the people living in close quarters, the children with no immunity to these kinds of things? There were hundreds of people in the compound at the moment, and almost all of them were civilians that were looking for a safe haven to raise their children. We had promised them that too. What would they do when they found out that we had lied about it, just like the regime they wanted to topple? "Farley, there are people here living in very tight quarters."

"I'm well aware, but I can't do anything without sparking panic. We've already started a quarantine, but the number of infected is rising, and the medics are running out of ideas." She growled as she massaged the bridge of her nose softly and squeezed her eyes shut.

I rammed my fingers into my hair at her comment, and Evangeline's words snapped at me from earlier. My sister's wasn't sick, and even though Cal had barely been in contact with the sick man, he wasn't sick. What about the spy's daughter, she wasn't sick right? There must have been something about them that was special, something that allowed them to put up a strong enough defense against the virus.

"What about Mare, and the others that were in contact with the sick but haven't shown any symptoms?" I asked as I paced in front of Farley who was sitting in her chair, massaging her temples still. She sighed and then gestured to the file. "They're all dead. Everyone who came in contact with David died of the same symptoms almost two weeks later."

"Why didn't Mare get sick then?" I argued, but Farley only waved my question away with her hand and whispered tenuously, "I don't know Shade, I really don't know."

"What about a treatment then, there must be something." I whispered as I grabbed the file and began to flip through the notes that the medic had made on the virus so far. All they had was that it was deadly, most likely airborne and without a cure. My stomach leaped into my throat and for a moment, I saw the fear in Evangeline's eyes as she mentioned how worried she was about getting sick. For a moment, I saw her with the others, coughing and dying slowly. The image made my insides twist, and my heart pound faster. Evangeline may have been a pain in the neck, but she wasn't that bad, and the more time I spent around her, the more I had started to realized that. She harbored secrets under those shields of hers and sometimes, I thought I saw flashes of a scared girl crying out from behind her irises. I wasn't sure if she was just playing me though, waiting for the chance to pounce and slit my throat.

My chest constricted at the image and the thoughts that followed it nevertheless, and I tossed the file aside before saying, "There had to be something, some drug that the Silver's have. I've seen them had out stuff like it before when I was younger."

"That's why I called you here," Farley said with what sound suspiciously like a sigh of relief, "I need you to lead the mission with your sister, Cal and a medic who volunteered. There's a Silver medical base near the outskirts or Corvium that might have what we need."

She sighed again as she set her head in her hand. "But it's a long shot."

"We'll just have to take the risk. Do the other's know about the mission?" I asked as I already started toward the door, intent of seeking them out to brief them as soon as possible. We would have to leave tonight like Farley had mentioned in the training room if we wanted to reach Corvium as soon a possible.

She nodded, causing her light blonde hair falling into her eyes. I hadn't noticed how tired Farley looked until now. She had heavy dark circles under her eyes that looked like they had been drawn with marker and would most likely be permanent. Her normally short cut hair fell past her shoulders in disarray, and looked like it hadn't been washed in days. I paused upon taking her in, and then crossed the room again to set my hand on her shoulder to hopefully reassure her. Farley and I had gotten close after she had pulled me off the front lines, and I felt like I had a duty to keep her sane during all of this. She had been through so much already, with her sister, and her mother, that she didn't deserve to have to go through anything more. "We'll get this done. Try to get some rest Diana, we can't have you catching this."

Her eyes flashed to me when I used her real name. There were very few people alive who still called her that, and one of them wasn't on the best of terms with her anymore. She could only nod in response to my suggestion though.

(/)

Two hours later, I watched my sister arrive at the entrance to the hanger in full battle gear, with her hair pulled back into a tight braid per usual, and her gun belted in around her waist. The only thing missing was her usual knife, which she seemed to have forgone and left behind. She approached me warily when she saw me looking her over and then leaned against one of the ramp supports, her eyes distant.

The medic had warned us that she had become increasingly irritable after isolation, and that she had had nightmares every night. They had chalked that up to her worrying about getting sick, but I knew better, and so did Cal. He'd tried to go see her to hopefully add a little bit of hope to her outlook, but after hearing what Evangeline had to say about their relationship at the moment, I doubted that would have helped much.

Cal showed up a few minutes after her, as if he were trying to avoid her, and judging by the look Mare gave him as he approached us, I didn't blame him. He looked pretty tired himself, and when I saw him earlier, I had had half a mind to tell him to stay behind and rest. He had insisted though, saying that we would need his help to get in and out of the medical center. He would be able to lead us to where we needed to go, and help get us out. Besides, he'd said with a weak smile, we could use all the numbers we could get.

He joined us at the entrance to the ramp, and I saw him carrying something like a belt in his hand. Mare glanced at it suspiciously until Cal offered it out to her and said, "You left this in the room."

Her knife rested in the palm of his hand, and Mare looked at it in surprise before reaching her hand out for it tentatively. She eventually plucked it out of Cal's hand as if touching him for more than a second would burn her, and avoided his gaze as she thanked him. With that, he sighed and walked past us, his expression pained as he walked up the ramp. He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore then, which surprised me, because normally Cal could keep his emotions in check. Something about Mare pulling away like this was really hurting him though. Which wasn't that much of a surprise, considering the fact that the two of them kept each other centered and grounded constantly.

I looked back at Mare to comment on it, but she was watching the space that Cal had vanished in, her own expression pained as she clutched the knife tightly in her fist. When she caught my eye, she glared and spit, "Don't you try and tell me what to do."

"I wasn't going to," I replied, taken aback by how vicious she sounded, "I was just going to suggest that you talk to him. It's obvious you two need to have a serious conversation about what's bothering you."

"Not you too," Mare groaned before stomping past me, and up the ramp of the airship. As soon as she entered, the engines roared to life as she gave them power. The floor beneath me vibrated and I watched as the medic we were taking with us sprinted across the hanger to join us. He dipped his head to me and apologized for being late, before slipping up the ramp and vanishing into the shadows of the cargo hold.

Sighing, I massaged the bridge of my nose and tried to put myself in a good frame of mind for this. I was worried though, about things I really shouldn't be thinking about before going off on an important mission like this. But I still thought about it none the less, and that was what was infuriating about the matter. Evangeline hadn't been in her quarter's according Chelsea, and she hadn't come back from the training room after I had left a few hours ago. I hoped she was okay though. She had been obviously offended by Farley's actions earlier, and she had stalked out and refused to talk to me before leaving. I had a feeling she was tired of being left out, and no doubt that was the truth, but Farley wasn't ready to integrate her yet. I thought she was ready though. In the two weeks we had spent together, she had softened considerably, and even let me below her shields. I had a feeling there were hundreds more below that though that I would have to crack before I knew who Evangeline Samos really was.

Sighing once more, I walked up the ramp and pushed the button to shut it. The door creaked shut, and I massaged the back of my neck softly while I crossed the hold. The airship we had taken had been stolen off an airbase a few months ago, and even though it had sustained some damage, Cal had spent countless hours on it, patching up holes and rewiring. In a way it was his ship, and even though he loaned it out to Noel, one of our other pilots, I saw him glance it over with worry every time.

The cargo hold was filled with travel supplies, weapons, and gear this time though. Mare had taken a seat among a mound of tarps that were supposed to be used for makeshift tents, and turning her knife over in her hand she ran her fingertips along the swirling initials engraved in the hilt. The medic had strapped himself into a makeshift crash harness near one of the walls, and he looked about as terrified as a kid going to school for the first time. Not that I blamed him, he wasn't field trained at all.

I felt the engines groan as the airship began to depart from the hanger and into the storm outside. Hopefully, we didn't have too strong of weather. Not that I doubted Cal's piloting skills, they were superb, I just hated flying with a passion. Mare had teased me about it when I had told her, saying that it was sort of ironic that I was afraid of flying in the air when I technically took myself apart and put myself back together every time that I teleported.

I paced the hold, and felt the ship leave the hanger in one smooth movement, before I allowed myself to relax and chose a place to settle in. I sank into the tarps at the base of the mound Mare had chosen, and glanced up at her to watch her sheath the knife again. When she saw me watching her, she narrowed her eyes and turned her back to me, before curling up into a tight ball to fall asleep.

It shouldn't have been a long flight to Corvium, but judging by the atmosphere around us, it would a long one after all.

* * *

 _A/N_

 _Alright so I know I promised a few people a long chapter this time around, and this chapter was originally 15000 words, and I was like, dear god, that is out of control, so I split it in two. This is technically part 1 and the next chapter will be part 2 and will be about 10000 words. I'm editing that one as you read this, so don't worry it should be out soon. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as for Jasmine Chambers, Shavangeline is possible the coolest ship name I've ever heard, mine was Evanshade. XD It sounded like a punk rock band and I don't know I figured it was cool. So for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, based off of the last sentence, Shade and Evangeline may have a little something something going on. (; And if you don't like that, that's chill, just please don't bash it in the reviews. Anyway, I can't wait to see you all in the next chapter which will be so much longer and so much more exciting. Until then my lovelies, chiao!_

 ** _Question time!_**

 _ **No question this time, cause I couldn't think of a good one.** XD_


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _(/_ _ **Shade**_ _/)_

The medical center was a lonely building on the outskirts of a small industrial area in Corvium. Dark smoke pumped up into the air from the towering chimneys a few miles away, and ash seemed to fall in a light layer everywhere. The whole area reeked of death and rot, it was no wonder no one had come here recently. It was like looking upon hell itself. Hell wasn't that far away either.

It had been a year since Farley had pulled me from the front lines, saving my life and my family's, but standing this close to the Choke was not an easy thing to do. I could hear the bombs still, the gunfire, and the cries of pain as men died around me. I'd been lucky enough to know how to hide, and how to duck inside the trenches and stay there until our troops withdrew. I'd only fired a few hundred shots, but some nights, I still woke up in a cold sweat, the weight of the gun like lead in my hands as it kicked back with the recoil.

Squeezing my eyes shut to water them again after the smoke dried them out, I felt a soft hand rest on my elbow. Glancing down, I noticed Mare standing next to me. She didn't met my eye as I set my hand on top of hers. Instead, she gripped my elbow tighter for a moment, before turning around and walking back up the ramp. Cal waited at the top, watching both of us for a second before bowing his head when Mare passed.

There was nothing more I should be watching out for, so I turned and followed Mare back up the ramp as well. The Silvers had no need for Guards all the way out here, and there was no one to see us. We were ghosts in a cloud of smoke, and they wouldn't see us coming until it was too late. It was about time the Silvers learned that too. We appeared weak, we appeared to kneel, until they looked away, then we leaped up again and finished the job. That was the thing about being on your knees your whole life, you got a pretty damn good view of the top, and exactly how to make it topple.

The inside of the airship was a silent as the outside, except for the shuffling of the medics feet, and Cal loading bullets into cartridges that he was putting into ammo bags. His eyes were down on his hands, but if he would have looked up, he would have seen Mare watching his hands with a desperation so strong, it could have ignited the stars. I noticed that about them though. The two of them watched the details of the other, memorized the imperfections, and traced the details like they were scripture. The would pray into each other's flesh, hoping to make it holy, hoping to make it last for eternity. They did it because they were fighting the inevitable truth. The truth that the most precious things, were the most fleeting. It was a goddamn tragedy.

I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention, and then crouched down to get eye level with everyone, hoping to keep the situation casual. We were all friends here. Mare, Cal, and I had been on more missions together than we could count, and we had always pulled through. The only person who would need reassuring, would be the medic. Who, sure enough, was shaking as he loaded his bullets into the small pistol he owned.

"Today should be easy enough. We get in, we get out. There are only four of us, so even number. We'll split into the teams of two to cover more ground. We're looking for a very specific antiviral medication." I relayed Farley's instructions carefully. She'd warned me that because the viral outbreak was starting to spread, there would be more guards, more security, and we might have a harder time. But with my ability and Mare's, Cal's knowledge of the silver's strategies and the medic's help, it shouldn't have been too difficult.

As I relayed the plan, one of the boxes along the wall fell over and shattered open, dumping prepackaged food all over the floor. All of us reacted disgustingly fast, our guns coming up and loading before the first package even hit the floor. Half of the lights in the cargo hold had been turned out to reserve power for the engines, and I squinted to try and see through the dark and find who was there. I lowered the gun that I had pulled from the holster around my leg for a second to lock a bullet into the chamber. Raising it back to eye level, I shouted into the darkness. "Show yourself, or we'll shoot."

"Don't you mean _and_?" Mare growled as she slowly slipped down from the pile of tarps that she had been sitting on again. She brought her gun up to her shoulder and cocked it again, locking her own shell into place.

"Well that's a pretty crucial conjunction," A voice spit from the darkness before becoming attached to a body and eventually Evangeline Samos, who stepped out of the shadows with her hands up in mock surrender. "Congratulations, you caught me." She rolled her eyes and set all her weight on her hip, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She was dressed in makeshift gear, that looked… rather nice on her. I shoved those feelings into the box at the back of my mind though. Now was not the time to admire how well those pants hugged her curves and how that shirt showed off exactly what training for your entire life did to your arms. She was here, and that was not okay.

Mare let out a barking laugh to fill the silence after her comment, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her finger come to rest on the trigger. "Should have known you'd look for a way to get out and kill us."

"Who says I'm here to kill you? The damn virus will kill you before I do." Evangeline snapped before stepping closer to us and gesturing to her unarmed person, turning to show us that she hadn't brought anything with her. Sighing in exasperation, I lowered my weapon and then glared at Mare until she lowered hers. Cal had lowered his the moment Evangeline had appeared, and out of all of us, he looked the least surprised at her sudden appearance.

Slipping the safety of my gun on, I holstered it and hissed, "You shouldn't be here."

She only smiled at my comment, and dammit it, she looked so damn innocent when she did it like that. Setting her hand on her hip she gestured with the other one outside. "You look like you could use all the help you can get."

"Thanks, but we have it covered." Mare snipped before turning around to continue packing her gear in her bag. Evangeline raised her brow and then crossing her arms teased under her breath, "Someone hasn't had a good night of sleep in a while."

Mare heard it though, she always seemed to hear those comments and those comments only. Glaring at Evangeline over her shoulder, Mare opened her mouth to retort, only for Cal to speak first. "We could use the extra man. Another one to guard the medic when we're in there."

"Or she'll be just another person to babysit." Mare hissed under her breath, before tossing her pack over her shoulder. Evangeline simply smiled at the comment, and replied, "I recall two princes, a queen, and a king that had to babysit you."

Mare's back straightened so quickly, I thought she had been shocked. Her gaze snapped to Evangeline and storming across the hold, she stuck her face into the other girls, and spit, "What did you just say to me?"

"Enough, Mare." I warned, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. As soon as she was safe distance away from Evangeline, I turned around and spoke to the silver girl again. "As for you, you're lucky we don't leave your ass on this airship for someone to find."

It was not something I would have liked to do, but I would have done it if I had to. Cal was right though, we needed another man, and Evangeline would be a very good asset to have with us. She was quick on her feet, and just like Cal she would know the Silver's strategies. Not to mention, I didn't mind having her at my back, as crazy as that sounded. It had been hard, learning to trust her, but it had happened. During the first week that we had been "training", she had been like a firecracker, taking every opportunity to explode, to attack. After a week though, her punches had gotten softer, and her smile had become more frequent. She laughed at my horrible jokes, and sat in the mess hall with me. When Chelsea sat with us though, she became sullen and bitter. Other times, I was joined by Tessa, a girl who worked with Gisa in the medical tents. Evangeline didn't seem to like her at all either.

Before we had started training together, I wouldn't have dared trust her, but now, now I believed that I could. She hadn't made a move to do anything bad, in fact, she'd been doing the exact opposite of that. Why she was doing that though, just didn't make sense.

Making sure I kept myself between Mare and Evangeline, I grabbed one of the guns that were left. I tossed it to Evangeline, who caught it and looked it over before cocking it and tossing it between her hands. She smiled eventually and then said, "Nice balance, where'd you get this one, out of someone's personal storage?"

"Maybe I pulled it out of yours." I replied with a smile, before grabbing an empty pack and throwing it to her. She caught it one handed and then glanced at me with a raised brow. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

Shrugging, I grabbed my own empty bag and slung it over my shoulder. "You'll fill it with the anti-viral when we get inside."

She only frowned, her expression softening as she crossed to Cal and bent down to gather her own bullets. She leaned close to him to whisper something, and he replied with only a shake of his head. Mare glanced down at them, her eyes narrowing before she pursed her lips and stepped between them to make her way to the ramp. Evangeline let out a hiss of annoyance as she almost fell over, and I ended up crouching down and catching her. She looked up at me under long lashes and blinked curiously. Cal looked at the two of us for a few seconds then, before raising his brow and standing. He stormed by us and after Mare when he heard her grumbling something under the breath. The two of them were obviously about to go at it again, for the third time since we had gotten onboard the airship.

While I watched him walk away, I could feel Evangeline's back pressing against my chest, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath. I shifted my grip on her, one of my hands falling to her lower back to start helping her up, and she inhaled sharply. I paused, and she turned her head to look at me again, and when she spoke, she insisted heatedly, "You can let go of me. I do have two legs to get me up on my own."

"Oh, yeah, sorry." I stood and then helped her to her feet anyway. She glanced at me curiously and then with a coy smile she purred, "If you wanted to get up close and personal, you should have just said something."

I blanched at her statement and she laughed at my expression before gesturing to the medic, giving him a wink. "Let's get going, we're burning daylight."

With a heavy sigh, I counted to ten and then followed her. Maybe I was wrong, maybe we should leave her in the cargo hold.

 _(/_ _ **Evangeline**_ _/)_

The compound was silent, as we slipped through the main shipment center. Large cargo containers marked with the symbol of Norta's southern ally Piedmont stamped on them towered over us and created dappled shadows. Ahead of me, Shade picked his way through the shadows carefully, his handkerchief pulled up over his mouth and nose to hide his features. In the dim light around us, his honeysuckle eyes glowed and every so often I felt them on me, glancing me over. I wasn't sure if he was looking out for me, or watching me though.

We paused behind a large red shipping container, and I lowered my gun and tugged on the red scarf they'd given me before we entered the compound. Taking a deep breath of the stale air, I glanced up at the levels upon levels of security above us. Behind me, Cal appeared out of the shadows, his eyes darting left and right as he scanned the area. Mare wasn't far behind him, with the medic in front of her. At this point, he was almost a buffer to keep the two of them from tearing at each other's throats.

Our party was impossibly small for a mission of this scale, but I could understand why they wanted to keep it this size. The smaller the group, the easier it was to get everyone in and out quietly. It was a nice thought, but judging by the tension in everyone shoulders, it wouldn't be a quick and easy mission.

Shade glanced back over his shoulder, and for a moment, I felt like he was looking through my soul again. My heart fluttered in response, but the feeling vanished as soon as I realized that he was trying to get Cal's attention silently. When they both made eye contact over my shoulder, Shade nodded and whispered, "Time to split. Take Mare and the medic and cover the lower floors, Evangeline and I will take the upper floors."

"Are you sure? The three of us could cover more ground up there than the two of you." Cal replied with a voice muffled by his handkerchief. The red of the fabric brought out the fire in his eyes, which were glowing in the dim light around us. He looked dubious as to whether or not Shade's idea would work, and I couldn't help but feel my own inklings of doubt. There were four floors above us, and I wasn't really up for running into the guards that would be manning those floors. There would be fewer on the lower floors where the less important medication was. The higher we went the more guards and security there would be to stop us. But that meant that what we needed was on those floors.

"You know I have a really amazing ability that allows me to move places really fast Cal, in case you don't remember." Shade snipped. He wasn't a man to be questioned, and although he did have mounds of patients, it eventually ran out. All of us were tired to the core. Shade was the worst though. He had been fighting the battle against the Silver's a lot longer than Cal or his sister, and the effects were starting to show in his dark circles and tired eyes. He was tired of fighting, and I could see it. It permeated from his eyes when he was asked to take missions and lead them. He was tired of losing men, tired of not seeing an end to everything, tired of setting goals that were too minuscule to case true change, and he was especially tired of being questioned after so long.

Cal's eyes narrowed at the comment and then with a sigh, he bowed out of the argument. His action elicited a shiver from me. I had never seen Cal give up that easily, maybe he wasn't as strong as I thought. Maven had always whispered that he was rotting inside, that he was falling apart and that was why he had killed his father. He had fallen to the corruption and the fear of losing the only thing that mattered to him. The crown wasn't the only thing that mattered though, I knew that now. He cared about his people, about their well being, and whether or not we tore this country apart trying to fix it. He was a mechanic though, and he must have known that in order to fix some things, you had to tear them down and start again. I had realized that over the past few weeks, as Shade had told me about the Guard and how he had come to be in it. How he had been on the front lines, fighting a war for people he despised, for a reason he didn't know. How Farley had found him and he had fed them information, before leaving the army completely, and disappearing into the shadows with her. He'd joined the Guard to give his sisters a chance, to give the people like him a chance to escape the life he'd lived. He did it for the children he wanted to have someday, and all the children yet to be born.

Shade's hand closed around my wrist and the action drew my eyes. He nodded to the right in the direction we would be taking and then released his grip. I yanked my scarf back up and then followed in his heels with my gun lowered and almost hitting my thigh. He ended up choosing a lift to get us up to the next levels. It would require a security card to access, and I opened my mouth to say so, only for Shade turn to me once more. Holding his hand out he raised his brow and whispered, "Do you trust me?"

"Depends." I replied hesitantly. I glanced down at his hand and then slipped my hand into his. He closed his fingers around mine and then closing his eyes, he yanked us through space.

My chest constricted, and it felt like I was being squeezed through a tube the size of my pinkie. We ended up inside the lift, and I stumbled backwards, catching myself on the railing next to me. I felt like I was going to be sick, and for a second I almost was. My vision spotted as I struggled to breathe and calm my racing heart. I hadn't been prepared for Shade to jump us like that. How he managed to do it consistently, I had no idea.

Shade was next to me in a second as soon as he noticed my condition, his eyes lighting up with worry as he whispered that the feeling would go away shortly. His hand felt warm on my lower back, and the grip he had on my shoulder almost hurt. He was keeping me upright, and as much as I thanked him for it, I hated him for it too. I could handle myself, a little nausea was nothing I couldn't deal with. But still, it felt nice to know that he cared and that I was the center of his world in that moment. It was such a selfish, and childish thought, considering where we were, but I had never felt this way about anyone. I'd never had such a desperate desire to prove myself, and to make someone notice me. Sure I'd wanted Cal and his family to see me, to see the power I had, but this was something different all together. I wanted Shade to see me, Evangeline Samos, not the magnetron, not the once future queen, not even the Silver. I wanted him to look at me the way Mare used to look at Cal, with a longing so deep, it put the universe to shame.

I inhaled sharply through my nose and tried to keep my mouth shut as I exhaled the same way. I just had to keep the bile in my stomach down and focus on that and that only, it shouldn't have been too difficult, I'd done it plenty of times in my life. I needed to clear my mind, throw all the clotting thoughts out. They were a distraction, and a terribly beautiful, deadly, distraction at that. I could see my father in my mind's eye though, scolding me for such petty, feminine thoughts. I had been raised to be a warrior, not a little girl. I had to destroy these feelings, I had to get rid of them before they destroyed me. It was so hard though, because I liked them. I liked the flutter in my stomach and heart that came when Shade smiled at me, or so much as looked my direction. I liked fighting my grin down when he called me blondie. He was a challenge, and I loved a good challenge.

"Evangeline, are you going to be okay?" Shade's voice whispered through my thoughts, and I stiffened as I nodded. I forced the bite into my voice as I whispered, "I'm fine, a little warning next time would have been nice."

He only smile secretively behind his mask and whispered, "I guess we'll have to find some other way to get you around then," and turned to reach up to try and push a panel in the roof out. They were reinforced though, held together by silicon bands that kept people from doing exactly what he was trying to do. Straightening up, and forcing my dizzy mind to stillness, I pushed him out of the way, and then stood on my toes and reached up to run my fingertips along the band running along one side of the panel. It slowly turned to a molten liquid, and I gritted my teeth as the metal resisted, and refused to bend to my will. It had been mixed with an alloy to adulterate it and prevent manipulation. Blowing an annoyed sigh through my nose, I reached deeper, into the folds between the molecules, drawing them out, from the mess of the alloy. They wobbled as I tugged and pulled, and eventually, gave way completely. The alloy's bonds shattered and the metal leaped to attention, ready to be molded to my request.

Smiling, I drew it out of its place, like a snake out of a basket. It pushed toward the wall of the lift, and then ran down it like a waterfall, and soon it was joined by the next band, and the next, until the panel gave a groan and then dropped and collapsed near my feet. The liquid silicon continued to drip down the wall in front of us, and Shade whispered, "That was… impressive."

I threw him a cocky grin over my shoulder and then whispered, "Of course it was." He only rolled his eyes and then crouched down, lacing his fingers together together to create a step for me.

"Ladies first," he whispered as he looked up at me. I tossed the strap of my gun over my shoulders and pushing the gun behind my back, I placed my hands on his shoulders and then stepped onto his hands. He lifted me up, and I almost gave a gasp of surprise at how quick it was, but I swallowed it. I wouldn't let him know how impressive he was.

The opening I had created was just big enough for me to squeeze my shoulders through, and I grabbed onto the edges as I pulled myself up on top of the lift. The metal sang under my hands and demanded to be used again, and I forced the call away to the back of my mind for later. The shaft was tight, and there wasn't a lot of room between the two walls. A soft air current blew my loose hairs as I looked up at the darkness above me. It wouldn't be easy to get to the next level, or the level above that. The platforms were high enough that jumping was out of the question. There wasn't a ladder either, which meant that climbing was also out of the question. Whoever had designed this place had been smart, they had given no easy outs.

Huffing in irritation, I crouched down and reached through the gap to offer Shade my hand. He grabbed on and pushed off while I pulled, giving him a little something extra to get him to the opening. He pulled himself up next to me and then looking around he whistled and tousled his hair as he said, "This should be interesting."

"Cal's group will be done covering their area before we even get to ours." I grumbled as I leaned back against the wall, with my legs and arms crossed. Shade glance at me, and then with a raised brow he looked me up and down before leaning against the wall as well. He looked to be thinking about something for a second before raising his brow and asking, "How do you feel about climbing?"

A few minutes later we were back to back, with our feet against the wall, our backs pressed together, and our arms interlocked at our sides as we climbed up another step. I expelled a breath to blow my hairs out my face and growled, "This is either the dumbest idea I've ever executed, or the most brilliant."

"I prefer brilliant, thank you very much." Shade grunted as he stepped up again. I followed suit, trying to push into his back more for support. Another bead of sweat rolled down the back of my neck and gathered in the folds of my scarf that was starting to be more of hindrance than a help. It made it a thousand times warmer, and my skin felt like it was being toasted in a sauna as we climbed. Even my sweat wasn't cooling me down anymore.

The shaft was just wide enough that the position was difficult, but Shade's legs and mine were long enough to make up for the difference. It was still hard though, and I had a feeling Shade was doing most of the work. His legs were a little longer than mine, and he had started shaking after we passed the second level. My legs ached though, and my core was on fire from holding the position and providing both Shade and myself with support. Shade was shaking against me, and as we took another step, I ground my jaw against the fire that pushed through my nerves and down my legs. This felt like hell, and none of my training had prepared me for doing something like this. Then again, I had never been trained on how to break into the very compounds I used to help design and guard.

We approached the third level a few agonizing minutes later, and with a grunt Shade pushed his legs straight and hissed through his teeth, "Grab the platform, and start pulling yourself up."

"What are you going to do?" I replied with a hiss as I shifted against the numbness in my legs and reached for the metal of the platform. Shade hissed as his feet slipped, and my weight pushed him down. With a grunt, her pushed himself up again and exhaling sharply, he said, "That's what I'm counting on you for blondie."

I caught the edge of the platform with my fingertips and reaching into the metal, I forced it to bleed down and then fold out. I had a much better idea than what he was probably think of, one that was going to give both of us a chance to rest. The metal responded readily to my touch, now that I had figured out how to get through the alloy faster. It flowed by my boots and down the wall of the shaft in small rivers, before solidifying and folding out into a floor below us.

Shade and I both collapsed on it, both of us heaving for air around burning lungs. I sighed in relief and laid my warm face against the cool metal, relishing in the instant change of temperature. Shade seemed to be doing the same, because he laid on his side longer than me, recovering his strength to continue the mission.

Sitting up slowly, I pushed my loose hairs out of my face and then whispered over my shoulder, "I gotta hand it to you, Barrow, that was a good plan."

He had changed his position and was resting on his hands and knees, stretching his legs out behind him every so often. Lifting his head up, he winked at me and said, "You should trust me more blondie."

Rolling my eyes, I hid my smile by standing and reaching up to open the doors out of the shaft. There was no use in letting him know the effect he had on me, the doors distracted me enough anyway. They were heavy, and reinforced to prevent them from being opened manually. The metal needed to have a current of electricity from a set of wires that funneled up into the darkness above me in order to move and I cursed that fact silently as I went to work. We should have taken Shade's sister, she would have been able to open the doors without a problem. For a moment, I wondered how well our other group was handling their situation.

I growled at my thoughts and then forced myself to concentrate on the doors themselves. They were made of the same alloy, but were much heavier, and would most likely require me to rip them open. It shouldn't have been too difficult, but Ptolemus had always been the heavy lifter between the two of us, while I had always been precision and accuracy. He had always made it look so easy though, and if my brute of a brother could do it, then I was damn well sure that I could too.

I grunted as the doors resisted, and then forcing beyond the electrical system, I pushed out with everything that I had in me. The doors grinded against their holds, and screeched as I forced them open to reveal the hallway beyond. My heart leaped in elation and the adrenaline that kicked in made the rest of the job easy.

The hallway beyond the doors was empty, much to my surprise. I figured that I had made enough noise to draw the attention of everyone in the building and wake the dead too. But I would take whatever luck I got at this point, considering the situation I was in.

Shade appeared next to me a second later, his eyes scanning as far down the hall as he could without getting out of the shaft. The two of us looked back and forth for a few seconds, before Shade leaned his forearms against the platform and said, "Looks like we might have just hit the jackpot."

With that, he swung himself up and out of the shaft. I scrambled after him, the butt of my gun smacking the small of my back sharply. I winced and rubbed at the spot as he crouched down and shrugged his bag off. He pulled out what looked like a faded list, and looked it over with a nod before folding it and tucking it into the breast pocket of his jacket. I had seen only a few items on there, but judging by the tight set of his jaw, it was going to be interesting to find them.

He rose nonetheless, and tossing his empty bag back onto his shoulder, he brought his gun around until it was resting in his hands. He gestured for me to follow him, and then started off at a light jog that I easily kept pace with. I stayed alongside him, and glanced down corridors as we passed them. The compound seemed deserted, but they could have already noticed us. If they had, they were just waiting for us to run right into whatever form of a trap they had set up.

As we rounded a corner, Shade skidded to an abrupt stop, and I almost collided with him from behind. I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing, but he wrapped his arm around me and spun us around into another hallway. He pinned me up against the wall with my back to him, and breathed against my ear, "Don't make a sound."

My heart hammered in my chest, but it wasn't because of the close proximity to him, it was because I could feel him sliding the small pistol he carried in his leg holster out and resting it against my thigh. He wouldn't kill me now, right? I hadn't done anything, at least, I didn't think I'd done anything recently that would warrant him shooting me in the back. Okay, maybe my comment about his sister earlier had been uncalled for, and maybe sneaking onto the mission had really pissed him off, but I didn't believe that I should have been shot for either of those things. That was a little harsh, even for the standards that I had grown up with.

I tried to force my racing heart to slow, and as it did, I glanced down at the way he was gripping my wrist at my side. It was loose grip, and I could have broken it easily with minimal effort. So slowly, I shifted so that my leg was between his, and then I maneuvered my foot around his ankle. My leg brushed his though, and he sensed the trajectory of my plan without even really thinking about it. He forced my arm behind my back in the most uncomfortable postion possible and then pushed me harder up against the wall.

"I'm not going to shoot you." He hissed in my ear, and then leaned back to allow me room to breathe again. I relaxed against the wall, and then froze when I heard the sound of boots approaching. Inhaling sharply at the sound, I grabbed his hand and yanked myself out from his grip. We couldn't be out in the open like this when they came around the corner. So, I pulled him down the hall, and then down multiple hallways after that, taking us deeper and deeper into the compound and hopefully away from the guards.

"Evangeline," He hissed as we came around another corner and I paused long enough to glance out into the hallway to check for guards. Flipping around on him, I yanked my scarf down and spit, "What? I'm trying to save us!"

"If we go any deeper into this place, we'll miss the storage rooms." He replied coolly, his eyes narrowing as he stepped in front to take the lead. I opened my mouth to argue, but he pulled his mask back up, essentially ending the argument before it could begin. Blanching at his disregard for my opinion, I stomped after him, furious that he wouldn't listen. The farther in we went though, the more nervous I became, and the less angry I was with him. I understood that we needed to get the medication desperately, but were our lives really worth it? With the pace Shade was going at, it seemed like our lives were forfeit as long as we got the medicine out to someone. That didn't mean that I wanted to risk my life to do that. But deep down, I knew that I would, and it wouldn't be to just impress Shade anymore.

He rounded the corner and then paused outside of a large metal door that needed an access code to open. He crouched down by the keypad and glancing it over, mumbled to himself. Sighing and rolling my eyes at his incompetence, I set my hand on the door and yanked the metal particles apart. The door split like a seam in the middle and Shade's eyes snapped to it in surprise, and he watched as I finished ripping the metal clean open, like tearing a piece of fabric.

With a smile down at him, I stepped through the opening I had created and into a small laboratory. My smile fell though as I took in the size of the room. It was huge, and there was no way that we would be able to cover the whole thing on our own, let alone have time to cover other rooms as well. Huffing in annoyance, I crossed to one of the shelves near me and cruoched down to glance over the lowest shelves. Shade was right behind me, but he paused at the shelves across from mine, and the two of us silently split up to cover more ground. He picked up a vial of something out of a small unmarked container, and glancing it over he whispered, "None of this stuff is labeled."

"We should take one of everything then." I replied with a sniff as I pulled my bag off my shoulders and swept everything off the shelf and into my bag. Shade glanced at me curiously, and then began to follow my lead. We made our way through the room like that then, each taking a side and picking vials and bottles off of shelves and out of containers.

He split off from me though as we reached a divide created by a shelf. He took the left side while I took the right. As I went, the bottles and containers started to vanish, but they were replaced by small work stations. With a curious scowl, I dropped my bag on the table and glanced through the lense of one of the microscopes next to me. I had never been one for medicine or science, so I highly doubted I would be able to discern what was in front of me.

In a small dish a black liquid was slowly eating away at a patch of cells. I watched as it slowly seeped through them, and then right before my eyes, the cells began to burst. They exploded out, leaking their insides into the black liquid which destroyed that too. I opened my mouth to call for Shade, wondering if he could make anything of it, but something shattered and I flipped around in worry. There was a grunt and then the sound of shelf rattling.

"Barrow?" I cried in panic as I sprinted toward the sound, bringing my gun up to defend myself against an attacker. We hadn't swept the room before we had started investigating, which had probably been our biggest mistake. Like idiots we had just assumed that the room was empty because the area we could see was empty, we should have known better.

I came around the corner, my gun raised, which was my first mistake. Someone grabbed the barrel and spun me around by it, then pinned me up against the wall. I kicked out, but I was faced with a Strongarm, who just grabbed me by my throat and lifted me off my feet. I choked and dropped my gun which clattered against the floor. With a desperation that was almost feral, I clawed at the man's hands, but he only squeezed my throat tighter and restricted my oxygen further. With a panicked gasp, I brought both my legs up violently, and put them right between his legs.

He howled and dropped me. With a cry of agony he stumbled backwards until he crashed into one of the shelves, toppling it. I leaned against the wall for a few seconds, inhaling precious oxygen, while I watched him struggle. He whimpered, and tried to get up, and that drove me to my feet. I grabbed the gun and without a second though, I slammed the butt of it into his forehead. He didn't make a sound as his head lolled back and he fell unconscious. I watched him with curiosity, trying to recognize him. He didn't look like a Carros, he didn't even look like any House I had seen. He didn't wear any House colors, and with a frown, I crouched down to check him for any identification.

Before I could though, I heard more glass shatter, and a shelf topple over. I stumbled up at the sound and forced myself to stalk slowly toward what sounded like a scuffle. It was just behind the shelf I was in front of, so with careful deliberation, I shuffled some of the bottles on the shelf out of the way so that I could glance through the shelves. Through the window I had made, I saw Shade and a Silver tussling.

Shade appeared to be doing just fine, but the girl was quicker than she looked. Just when Shade had her pinned down, she would flip him and put herself back on top. I watched them for a few seconds more, until she wrapped Shade in a choke hold. He gasped and tried to claw at her arm which slowly became stone under his nails. He kept clawing though, until he started ripping out his nails.

I stepped quickly toward the end of the shelf so that I was going to come up behind her, and then stalked up like a cat. Shade was making pathetic choking noises as he slowly began to stop struggling. If I could see his face, I assumed it would be turning blue by this point. As I crept up behind them, I stepped on a piece of glass that cracked under my foot. The stoneskin girl tensed and then flipped around with Shade, whose feet dragged on the ground.

Sneering at me the girl squeezed his neck tighter and said, "Thought you could sneak up on me Red?"

My lips pulled into a tight line at her derogatory statement, and I reached up to pull my scarf down, revealing my features. Her eyes slowly widened in surprise and her mouth opened and closed as she tried to comprehend the drastic turn this fight had taken. I brought my gun around and pointing at her, I spit, "Drop him."

She only sneered in my direction and squeezed tighter. Growling, I pulled the trigger, but at that exact moment, the strongarm appeared and grabbed the muzzle and bent it. The kick from the gun exploding in my hands sent me flying backwards and into one of the shelves. I broke under my weight and I collapsed among broken glass that cut at my hands. I propped myself up, grunting at the sharp pain that shot up my back from the spot that had hit the shelf. The strongarm smiled at me, revealing a bloody smile, and then closing his fists at his sides he teased, "You'll have to finish the job next time sweet heart."

I stumbled up and had the pleasure of seeing both of them blink in surprise. I grinned wickedly at their expressions and then crouching down, I grabbed one of the bars supporting the shelves. With a yank, I ripped it free and spun it in a slow circle, morphing the end into a sharp tip. The stoneskin girl could only sneer at me, and then hiss, "You're looking a little rusty, Lady Samos."

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume, Ellyn." I purred. Ellyn had been a young woman at the court while I was there. A few years my senior, she used to train with us, and she used to beat everyone. It hadn't taken much time for Cal to best her though. It had been a quick fight, and this one would be no different. Ellyn was strong and quick, but she was also very stupid. Her strongarm friend would probably pose the most trouble.

With a sneer she tossed Shade to the side so that he crumpled in a heap. His head cracked against one of the shelves and he slumped down against the ground as he passed out. Slowly Ellyn transformed every visible inch of her skin to stone, and faced me, her eyes like quicksilver as she licked her lips and hissed, "Then let's dance, traitor."

With a battle cry, she launched herself at me, and I spun my metal bar turned staff to knock her incoming punch away. Some of her stone broke off and she hissed in pain before bringing her other fist around to follow up. I ducked and swung my staff in a low swing to her knees. It cracked against one of them, and she howled before kicking out with her other foot. It connected with my chest and I gasped as all the air left my body and I was thrown backwards. I hit the ground hard on my back, and she leaped forward to slam down on me. With a cry, I rolled out of the way and into kneeling position, my staff resting in a backhand grip behind me.

Her fist slammed into the metal floor, indenting it right where my head had been a second ago. The ground seemed to buckle around her and I exhaled sharply as I realized that that would have been my head. Her eyes snapped to me and with a sneer she growled, "You're quick Samos, but not quick enough."

She backed off then, and her partner came up next to her, his muscles seeming to swell to twice their size. I panted, trying to recover my breath and whispered, "Honestly, this is hardly fair. There's two of you, and only one of me."

The strongarm actually laughed and then grinning at me he said, "We all know these are hardly bad odds to you Lady Samos."

Shifting my weight, I shrugged and smiled secretively, "True, but don't you two want to at least test them?"

Ellyn swung out again at that, and I spun my staff behind me into a normal grip before swinging it to intercept her incoming hit. I caught her wrist with the middle, then stepping forward, I gripped the staff above and below her wrist, and twisted. She screamed in pain, but I kept twist until I saw fissures in her stone skin, and after a few more seconds of the pressure, I heard bone crack.

The strongarm tried to come in from the side then, and I stabbed the sharp point of my staff into the floor, molding it around that, before using it like a pole and swinging my legs around to connect with his middle. I heard the air leave his body, and I settled with my back to Ellyn, who by then was furious and in agony. She tried to spin us out of the position, and actually ripped my staff out of the ground and forced it and arms above my head. I stood completely exposed then, and she smiled wickedly, as she brought her hand around in what I thought would be a punch, but halfway through she opened her hand and grabbed onto my braid. My eyes widened as I realized how big of a mistake I had just made. She gripped my hair in a tight fist and then yanked on it, the motion practically taking me off my feet as she threw me.

I hit the floor and rolled, the glass on the floor cutting into my shirt and hands again. My staff hit the floor a few feet away and I looked at it in terror, and reached my hand out to grab it. I closed it in a fist as I heard one of my opponents approaching rapidly from behind, and spun around with it, tip up. The strongarm impaled himself on it, and his eyes widened as he looked down at the pole that he had pushed through his own body by mistake. I gasped in surprise, and he looked up at me with dead eyes before coughing up blood and sliding down further. Ellyn screamed in horror, and I yanked my staff out of the man. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, and I was covered in the stuff, both mine and strongarms. The man collapsed on the ground next to me, and I stumbled up trying to swing my staff and ward Ellyn off in my disorientation.

She grabbed it though, and yanked it from my hands before kicking me across the chest and sending my sprawling again. My head cracked on the ground, and I cried out as I tried to get up again. Ellyn grabbed the back of my shirt though and yanked me toward her. With a laugh of triumph she wrapped her arm around my neck and squeezed until I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head.

I could feel her hot breath of my ear as she panted. "The King wants you dead traitor, and I'll be heralded like a queen when I bring your body back to Archeon."

I gasped as she drove her other fist into my stomach, forcing all of the air in my lungs out in a gasp. By then, I was still trying to struggle against her. I grabbed half broken bottles that littered the floor near me and tried smashing them against her arm to no avail. Her grip only grew tighter, and my body tensed as the stone crevice of her elbow rubbed against my neck and started to create a rash.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to crush that little dream of yours."

Ellyn flipped around with me, and turned to face Shade who was standing, my gun in his hands, pointed straight at Ellyn. A trail of bright red blood rolled down from his hairline, and toward his eye. He smiled when he saw her surprise and said, "Finish the job next time bitch."

With that he squeezed the trigger. The bullet slammed into the Ellyn's forehead so hard that she actually stumbled backward and took me with her. ******Even in death her grip was tight, and I ended up on top of her, struggling to pull away as I gasped for air. Shade was there in a second though, practically ripping the stone off her arm as he pulled me out of her grip. The force of his pulling took me out of her grip completely and directly into his arms. We stood like that then, the two of us both beaten and bruised, looking at each other curiously. I was crushed up against him, with my arms scrunched between us. His hands were still wrapped around my wrists like vices, and he didn't' seem the least bit bothered by that fact, or the fact that we were practically chest to chest in that moment.

Surprisingly, he pulled away first, and coughed to fill the silence. I reached up after he let go and rubbed at my neck while I turned my head away to avoid his gaze as well. I glanced at the chaos our battle had created and then looked at the door which was wide open to the hallway. We needed to leave, they would know that we were here by now. The guards in the security room might have even been watching the whole fight and had sent reinforcements long before the fight was over. My stomach turned at the thought of fighting more. My body ached from Ellyn's punches and throwing, and her partner's hits from earlier, but I would fight if I had to, I'd been trained to do so. I peeked at Shade though the curtain of my hair that had fallen out of my braid to see he what he might have been doing, which was hopefully coming up with a plan. He was lifting his bag and digging through it, but he looked crestfallen. When he turned the bag over, all the broken vials tumbled out and the bottles of pills followed. They'd broken in his bag during his duel with Ellyn, and all the pills had been crushed to a fine powder. He threw the bag to the side and then cursed loudly before knotting his fingers in her hair. I had never seen him so frustrated of furious for that matter.

As soon as he had finished his tirade against fate and everything he could think of, a siren went off, and the lights in the room began to shut off one by one. Both of our heads swiveled for the door in that moment and my own curse slipped by before I could stop it. A thick shield door was slowly sliding over the door, blocking off the seam I had made, and essentially trapping us if it closed all the way.

Shade cried out, and rushed for it, with every gung ho intention of trying to keep it open apparently. I went the opposite direction of him though, determined to not let out efforts be wasted. I'd left my bag on the table with the microscope, and it was still there. My hands flew to it, and with a panicked look around, I tried to figure out what else I should grab. Shade screamed at me from the other side of the room though, and I screamed a nasty curse word that my mother would have slapped me across the mouth for. I closed my bag quickly, making sure it was securely fastened on my shoulders before sprinting for the door.

Shade was standing between the the seam I had created and the shield door, barely holding it open. The veins in his neck stood out as he tried to keep the door open by force of will. His jaw was set tighter than cement, and for a moment, I thought that his heart was going to give out from exertion. His eyes met mine though as I approached at a sprint and he let out a cry of agony as he was forced to step out of the space to prevent his collarbone from being shattered. I leaped through the slim opening and felt the puff of air stir my hairs as the door slammed closed and locked behind me.

I collapsed on the ground, heaving for breath, before glancing behind me at the door. That had been close, too close for comfort. I shouldn't have gone back for the damn bag, but I'd had a moment of weakness, or maybe it was a moment of clarity, I wasn't sure anymore. My heart and my head weren't in agreement any more. They weren't on the same page, maybe not even in the same library now. That was a mistake, at least that's what my upbringing said. Maybe it was wrong though, maybe I was wrong…

Shade grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet, his voice strained as he hissed, "We need to get out of here, sooner rather than later."

I nodded, my vision spotty as I recovered from my brush with fate. He was right, but there was no way we were getting back to our lift shaft without running into more guards. Glancing up at him with a disgruntled huff and whispered, "How do you propose we do that?"

With a sly smile, he held out his hand and said, "You might want to hold onto your lunch."

Opening my mouth to protest, I tried to tell him we could find another way, because under no circumstances was he going to be able to pull me on that jumping thing of his. Before I could get a word out though, he had wrapped his arm through mine and teleported us. Once more, I felt like I was being squeezed through a tube, and all the air in my lungs was pushed out.

Suddenly, our feet slammed into the metal floor of a random hallway, and he stumbled as he landed. There were shouts in front of us, and I lifted my head up to see four guards, all armed to the teeth in front of us. My eyes widened in horror and I screamed, "Jump Shade, JUMP!"

I felt him pulling me along again, but before we disappeared, I heard the pop of a gun, and felt a blinding hot pain in my thigh. I screamed in pain as we teleported again, and tried to reach down and grab at the wound. In the vacuum we traveled through though, I couldn't move a muscle. I could only wait and feel the pressure on the wound as my body battled to pump blood out and the vacuum forced it back in. It felt like me leg was going to explode as the pressure increased, and I felt burning hot tears running down my cheeks.

When we landed again, it was outside in the dirt. Neither of us really had a clean landing either. Shade tumbled to the ground a few steps away from me. I collapsed to my hands and knees, and clutched at my thigh which burned like a hot poker had been pushed into my skin and was slowly being dragged into my wound. Shade scrambled to getup, and stumbled for a second as if he were disoriented and then crouched down next to me in a panic as he took in my state. He eventually gathered himself and shouted at me, trying to figure out what had happened. I couldn't answer without choking on tears though. With a whimper, I pulled my hand away from my thigh and looked at my silver stained palm. My blood was hot and sticky, and when I glanced down at my wound, I saw the reason for the amount of blood.

Before we had teleported out of the compound, one of the guards had had enough sense to fire a shot. It had skimmed my thigh, instead of hitting me dead on though. The bullet had sliced through some of my skin, leaving a deep gash in my leg that was pouring blood out by the liter.

I gasped as I took in the wound, and then with a choked sob, I pressed my palm into the gash to try and stop of the blood flow. Shade was already in action though. He ripped the bottom off of his jacket and flipped me over onto my back. With almost surgical precision, he lifted and bent my leg before looking over the wound. He peeled away the fabric of my pants and then wincing, he glanced up at me and whispered, "I have to clean it before I wrap it."

He didn't even give me a chance to respond. Reaching for something on his belt, he pulled out a flask, and opened it before holding my leg still and whispering, "Whatever you do, don't scream."

"Why the hell-" My words broke off in a cry of agony as he flipped the flask and dumped every last drop of that hellish burning liquid into my wound. I pounded the ground with my hand and tore at my bottom lip as I tried to stifle my scream. Some of it leaked out in a pitiful cry. Shade clutched my thigh to keep me still and with careful hands, he tied the torn fabric of his shirt around my wound, pulling it tight to create support and pressure. If the alcohol had been bad, him applying pressure was worse. I clenched my hands into fists and whimpered at the pain. Desperately I tried to keep from making the pathetic noises, but the pain in that moment was the worst thing I had ever felt.

While he worked, I tried to stop crying and just pretend nothing had happened. I had had worse cuts, much worse. The pain shouldn't last too much longer, I could deal with it in that time. Then again, I'd always had a healer on hand to just patch me up the moment wounds appeared, without even leaving a scar. In a way, this was thousand times worse.

I whimpered once more as I tried to stand up, but Shade crouched down and slipping his arms under my knees and arms, he lifted me up effortlessly. I gasped in surprise, not at the pain in my leg, but at how gracefully he had done that.

"Just hang in there blondie, I'm not gonna jump anymore, we're only a mile or two away from the airship." He whispered as he started to jog back, or as quickly as he could, considering the fact that he was carrying me. The bouncing of his steps though made the trip hell. I tore up the inside of my cheek trying to keep from crying, but still a few tears leaked through and I saw Shade glance down every so often before trying to slow his pace to a quick walk.

The air ship was open and waiting for us when we arrived, with Cal at the bottom, his gun at the ready as he scanned the space behind us for guards. But when he saw that we were alone, he turned up the ramp and vanished into the hold. The engines started up only a second later, and as we approached the ramp, I saw the medic peaking out from the hold to assess the situation from afar.

Shade carried me up the ramp, and Mare shut it behind us as Shade slowly lowered me onto the mass of tarps. The medic was all over me then, his hands flying to Shade's makeshift bandages to remove them. Shade vanished into the cockpit and he and Cal argued for a solid ten minutes before he returned and stood behind the medic. He watched as the young man observed my wound and reached into the bag he brought for his supplies. With a worried scowl, Shade crouched down and asked, "How bad is it?"

"It just looks deep, it's not really that bad. Few stitches that will come out in a few days and she'll be fine. It just hurts like a son of a gun right now." The medic replied as he took a towel drenched in more alcohol and cleaned my wound. I hissed in pain and he glanced at me before saying, "Apologies, I should have told you that would sting a little."

"A little?" I spit, before leaning my head back into the tarps and squeezing my eyes shut. Underneath me, I felt the rumbling of the engines as Cal put the thing to full power for takeoff. The faster we got back, the faster I could relax and hopefully get better medical treatment than field stitches.

This stupid cut hurt like hell though, and I prayed that the damn medic would just hurry and stitch me up, no matter how patchy the job was. As if he heard my thoughts, he started at my stitches, his tongue between his teeth as he concentrated. Mare watched from behind her brother and then with a raised brow, she glanced at my pack that had been discarded the minute Shade had set me down. She crossed to it, and began to dig through everything I had grabbed. I noticed then that her bag and Cal's looked pitifully empty compared to mine.

The medic finished quickly and Mare brought my bag over to him, with a glimmer of hope in her eye as she held it out to him. He took it from her and dug through, his brows tugging closer and closer together as he went through bottle after bottle, and vial after vial. The three of us watched him with a mixture of worry and wary hope, but the latter faded completely when he closed my bag with a sigh and said, "What we need isn't here."

"Damn it." Mare hissed before storming out of the hold and to the cockpit. I wished I could have stormed off too. I had risked my life for that stupid bag of nothing! We could have gotten out of there sooner, I could have avoided having to fight Ellyn, I could have avoided being _shot_. The medic bowed his head sadly and then shuffling his feet he said, "I mean, you… you brought back stuff that could help ease some of the patient's symptoms, which is really helpful."

Shade had already noticed my mood though, and sighing, her patting the young man's shoulder he told him to go and get some sleep. With a grateful smile, the medic crossed to his makeshift harness and strapped himself in before settling in and closing his eyes. Shade watched him and then when he was sure that the medic wasn't listening anymore, he crouched down next to me. I glanced at him warily, wondering what he had to say that he needed privacy.

When he saw my hesitation, he smiled weakly and then said, "Thank you, for saving my life."

"Well, you saved mine," I replied, my voice wavering in surprise, "I guess you could consider us even." My lips tugged up in the slightest of smiles and he returned the grin, his eyes lighting up for the first time in weeks. Taking my hand between his own, he looked me dead in the eye and said, "On behalf of the Scarlet Guard, I want to thank you for you service today." He laughed after that, making me roll my eyes and pull my hand out of his quickly. I thought he was going to say something important, or maybe even profound, instead he had poked fun at me and teased me. That hadn't been so bad though, I think, if I weren't in agony with my leg, I might have laughed.

His expression became serious suddenly though, and with that worried frown he said, "You look pale…well paler than usual. You should get some rest, we'll be back at the compound in a few hours."

With that, he rose, and left to talk with his sister who was just exiting the cockpit. I watched him go, wishing for the intimacy we had just shared once more. He had seemed uncomfortable with it though, as if us being close like that had unnerved him. Which wouldn't surprise me, it had put me on edge too. I didn't mind it as much anymore though. I liked the rush I got when he was near, but I wasn't sure if he felt it. I doubted he didn't, I mean what was between us felt almost tangible now.

I wiggled down in my makeshift bed, and tried to get comfortable for the rest of the flight. As I settled down, I watched Shade and his sister. He pulled her into a hug and they spoke about the mission, about the close shave she and Cal had had, and about what the medic said about their supplies that they had brought back. When she tried to pull away he pulled her close to him again and ran his hand up and down her back, soothing her anxiety. My heart ached watching them. I missed my brother desperately, and now, just when I thought the hole in my heart was starting to fill and heal, it was torn open again. Ellyn had called me a traitor and told me that Maven wanted my dead. If she knew and had orders to kill me, then Ptolemus would too, and he would not hesitate. If he did hesitate though, I would have to kill him to protect myself. In my heart of hearts, I wasn't sure what scared me more.

 _A/N_

 _Hello lovelies, I'm glad to say that I've officially moved into my dorm room for the summer, and I'm also super excited to say that I'm only taking two classes, so I should have enough time to write you all plenty of chapters. (: Anywho, this chapter was littered with little hints so if you catch them TEN POINTS TO YOUR HOUSE. This was the second part of last chapter, and this is almost 12000 words so you can hopefully understand why I split it in two._

 _Next chapter is in the works, and should be up soon, until then, Ciao. (:_

 _Questions time!_

 _Do you think Evangeline's actually warming up to the Guard, or maybe just the fact that she's safe because she's almost above suspicion?_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _(/ **Evangeline/** )_

I was walking toward the medical tent a week after we returned from our mission in Corvium. I had been charged by Farley to carry extra blankets to the people there. She had grumbled that it as my punishment for sneaking out on the mission, and had glared Shade down when he'd tried to protest. After that I'd spent a day in the medical tent, getting my stitches cleaned and resewn. The medic who had done them before, redid them, and spent quite a bit of time telling me far too much about himself. In the end though, I lightened up, and thanked him. He'd turned three shades of red, and then buried his nose in his chest to hide the blush.

The walkways were empty as I paced through them, and when I passed a middle aged woman with a young child, she yanked her away and wrapped a cloth over the girl's face. They tiny girl watched me over the top of the cloth with bright green eyes, that were watery with terror. I recognized the fiery red curls that were poking out from underneath the scarf her mother put around her head every morning. She was Abbigale, the runt of her family, and also the most likely to contract the disease and fall prey to it. But she was the last of her three siblings to survive so far. For that very reason, her mother had her separated from practically the whole compound.

The virus had broken out at the beginning of the week, the night after we returned, when one of the medics accidentally dropped a vial of blood that she was running to one of the doctors and cut her finger on the glass. The disease had been slow to show in her though, and she didn't notice the little cut until it was too late. She had already gone back to the quarters that she shared with three other families. They had all fallen ill within days. After that, it was only a matter of time before it exploded. And it went off like the time bomb it was. The medical area had spread from a small tent to four, and the bodies, oh God the bodies. People were falling faster than we could bury them, and the only thing we could do was take them out into the snow and drag them to a glacier drop off where they were dropped over and into the abyss. There was nothing else we could do for them. They were given final rights as they lay dying, and then the minute the last breath left their body, they were taken out to make room for another person in critical condition.

I had seen more than enough last rights to last me a lifetime in the past few days. I'd watched Cal give them to a little boy who had asked him to do it. I'd watched as he had hovered his hand over the boy's forehead and whispered the last rights just as the kid went still in the bed. I had watched an old woman die next to her son who fell ill after trying to nurse her back to health. I'd watched men, women, and children die, and I was waiting for my turn now. I'd been lucky so far though, and I hadn't really had to encounter anyone that was sick. I mostly just brought the blankets and left them in a sterilized area. Shade though, I was worried about. He was in the tents constantly, watching as men he had known slowly went still and cold before him. I'd argued about it with him two days ago, but both of our stubborn personalities had reared their heads at the same time, and he'd practically dismissed me.

I hadn't spoken to him since then, but I hoped to at least see him and apologize. I'd been petty, citing that he was more important than the cause in front of him. He'd been furious at that, and had hissed that no single person's life was worth more than the cause.

Now I was worried though, there were rumbles of panic running through the ranks. I'd overheard a group of men talking about trying to brave the snow and mountain ridges to take their families somewhere else. What they didn't know, was that there was a watch now to prevent that exact thing from happening. Farley had tried to calm everyone, to tell them that the medics were working on a cure. As the body count went up though, so did the whispers. People were terrified, and terrified people did stupid things. Especially when they found out that their command had been lying to them. I'd heard Cal and Shade whispering early this morning when I'd come to try and apologize. As soon as they saw me though, the disbanded, and Shade had left. I'd caught the tail end of the conversation though. The supply stores were running low, and there wasn't enough man power that could go out on runs.

As I passed through the the medical area, I noticed a band of people around a single man lying on a cot. I didn't recognize many of them, the few that I did though, noticed me immediately. Hector's beady eyes were the first to start watching me. He took in my heavy jacket that Shade had given to me to keep out the chill, and the mask I wore according to Farley's orders. Anyone who hadn't contracted the sickness needed to wear a mask to try and prevent them from getting sick. It wasn't easy though. The rags we were using for masks were heavy, and they made it hard to breathe.

His eyes never left mine though, and eventually, he nudged the massive man next to him, who I had learned was named Seth. They both rose then, and I swallowed past the knife in my throat before picking up my pace. They quickened thiers in response, but stopped when I ducked into the supply tent. One of the young men working the tent, glanced up when he noticed my sudden appearance, and then offered me a smile and a grateful thank you as he took the blankets and began to set them in boxes that would be distributed to the tents. I watched his work carefully, trying to stall, hoping that by the time I left, Hector and his goon would be gone.

I wasn't afraid of them though, I was afraid of what I would do if they tried to corner me. They should know better than to pin me in a corner. Deep down I felt like I should teach them why they shouldn't even try, but I also knew that if I did, Farley would have no choice but to remove me. I would truly be the threat that everyone thought I was. I figured after a few months though, I was actually starting to gain the trust of these people. Mare had been right, the quickest way to the adults was through their children. The girls loved me, and always seemed to be even happier to see me than they were to see Mare. Then again, Mare had been sullen and hostile ever since she had been in isolation. She's become even more prickly toward Cal, and had taken up residence in her family's quarters to avoid him altogether. By now, the move was childish, and I could see Cal's composure wavering. He'd given her space, and now she was taking the extra rope he'd given her and hanging herself with it. It wouldn't be long before he exploded.

Inhaling heavily through my nose to force calm, I turned and left the tent, preparing myself to make a dash for a crowded area. Hector wouldn't try to confront me in a crowded area, especially after it got out that I risked my life to bring back even the slightest bit of relief to the sick. The minute I set foot outside though, Seth was in my way. I stiffened at his close proximity and then lifting my chin, I said, "You're in my way."

He only smiled, and stood taller, until he was practically towering over me. I reached into my pocket then and gripped the small shard of metal I had ripped out of the wall of my room. I had refused to be unarmed now that I was allowed to wander the compound by myself, especially with people like Hector wandering around. I ran my fingertip along it, elongating one side into a blade, and the other into a hilt. If anything happened, I would just wound him, and then run. I would find someone who might at least partially believe my story, and tell them that Seth had cornered me and attacked me. Shade would be the best to find, but lately, Hector had been targeting him too, saying that Shade was going soft on me, that he was turning his back on purpose because he was a Silver sympathizer. His sister was a sympathizer because she had shared a bed with Cal, nevermind the fact that they weren't doing it anymore.

"Where you off to in such a hurry?" Hector pipped up next to me, his eyes narrowing gleefully as he took in my defensive stance. I set my shoulders back and without looking at him, I spit, "I was just leaving."

His hand snaked out and grabbed the jacket I was wearing. He turned the too big sleeve over and admired the patch on the arm. Each member of a squadron was given a patch to distinguish them from the others, and as a member of the Snapdragon squadron, Shade had a bright orange and silver bird on his. Tapping the symbol with his finger, Hector said, "So you're a thief now, stealing things that don't belong to you."

I yanked my arm away, and glaring at him, I spit, "This was given to me, I'm only borrowing-"

"I'm sure you are," Hector said with a mocking shrug before setting his beady eyes on me again and whispering, "But we all know why you're really here, you Silver bitch."

The fire in my chest flared up, and I felt the blood rush to my face, I wouldn't be mocked by this insignificant bug crawling around beneath me. If there was a definition for the reputation Silver's gave Reds, it would be this man. A little thieving, lying devil that rolled around in the mud like the filthy rat he was.

I took a step back though, telling myself to count to ten and breathe. Shade had taught me one or two tricks when I can to dealing with Hector, and the first was to let him know that you weren't affected by what he was saying in the slightest. I forced tense muscle to relax, forced my sneer down, and then spoke, "You don't have any business with me. I was just leaving."

"Leaving to go feed information to your Silver friends, just like Calore?" He purred, as he stepped closer and forced me back into Seth, who grabbed both of my arms to keep me from moving. I squirmed in surprise and then laughing at the sheer insanity of the accusation, I replied with a sneer, "What? Cal feeding information? They want him dead, what good would it do him to feed them information and lead them right to him?"

"Simple, Barrow figured it out a little while ago. He's been working for that damn brother of his for a while now. His brother would let him win a few fights, give him a chance to get his footing around here, play Mare like a card deck, and then feed him every little scrap of information he could get his hands on." Hector relayed, before shrugging and saying, "I'm just glad she finally listened to reason. It took a while, but I finally managed to point out the lies."

"You sick bastard," I muttered, trying to keep from moving, since Seth's thumbs were pressed into the veins in my elbows, most likely leaving dark bruises. "You played her, turned her against him!"

"Actually, Calore did that for me, I just picked up the pieces he left behind and put them back together for her while she was in isolation. She stewed on it while she was sitting in that ten by ten cell and when she came out she agreed with me."

Honestly, I had never been insulted for someone before, but listening to how that rat turned two people who obviously cared about one another against each other like rabid dogs was physically upsetting. I had half a mind to tell him to stick his thoughts where they belonged, but the damage was done. Mare believed him, and the only way to fix the situation was to alert Mare and Cal to the possibility that there was outside influence. That wasn't my job though, that was a job for someone like Shade who Mare obviously trusted. If I said anything, she would think that I was helping Cal cover up his lies, it would make the situation three thousand times worse. Huffing in disgust at the situation I was in, I tried to pull my arm out of Seth's grip but he squeezed tight enough to make me yelp, and then whispered in my ear, "Easy now kitten, we're not gonna hurt you just yet."

My heart hammered in my chest at the growl in his voice, and as a last desperate attempt, I went to scream. Seth clamped his hand over my mouth though, successfully silencing the sound that was about to escape. I squirmed in his grip, trying to wiggle my way out, but his hands gripped me so tightly that I thought he was going to break the bone. I should just drive my heel back, but one look around told me that wouldn't be very helpful. Out of the shadows, the members of Hector's group appeared around us, forcing me to hesitate and looked around to count how many people I would have to fight. My odds were not exactly thrilling.

I stopped struggling as soon as I realized that there was absolutely no escape, and slowly let my body go limp. Seth chuckled behind me, and the sound shook my entire body. He was stronger than he looked, and for a moment, I wondered if he was a New Blood like Mare. It really wouldn't surprise me.

I hung my head as more laughter bubbled up around me, and gritted my teeth against the sound. I wouldn't be intimidated by a group of Red searching for a punching bag. Besides, they wouldn't find one in me.

Hector's fingers closed around my face, squishing my cheeks and essentially lifting my chin in one move. With a crooked smile, he tilted his head to the side and said, "What's the matter Silver? Is all your fight gone now that your crown is too?"

I yanked my face out of his grip successfully, and with a sneer replied, "Don't provoke me you rat."

The insult seemed to wound him momentarily, but after a few seconds, he threw his head back and laughed. Seth laughed too, once more shaking my body. I tried to wiggle out of his grip again, but he pinned my arms to my sides and shouted, "She's a slippery little thing, probably the same way in other situations too."

My face burned at the innuendo, and struggling against him, I screamed, "Let go or I'll make you!"

The whole group got a laugh out of my threat, but Hector's grin vanished. He knew why I had been down in my cell when they first brought me, he knew what I could do, and he knew that he was supposed to be afraid. As soon as I saw the fear pass across his eyes, I gave him a wicked grin, letting him know that I had seen exactly what he was trying to hide. He was scared little man that hid behind bigger men while they did his dirty work. He was nothing but a pretender, a con man really, and I wasn't scared of him.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed my grin, and said, "Well, you certainly are not in any position to be making threats."

"Hector, I do hope you're not doing anything stupid." Called a voice from the shadows, and I melted in relief. Shade stepped out of the shadows, his features sharply defined by the light. He looked exhausted though, and I knew why. He'd been up since the crack of dawn arranging for family to be buried together as soon as the snow thawed.

Hector's goons began to back away at his presence, and Hector flipped around to face him. With a stammer, Hector gestured to me, and said, "We… we were just having a conversation."

"I see, and restraining her was necessary to do that? Because I will have you know that it does not look good for you right now Hector." Shade's eyes narrowed, and I blinked and missed him teleport until he was right in front of Hector who took a stumbling step backward and toward me. I brought my foot out and kicked at the back of his knee. He let out a cry as it collapsed, and Shade watched him with a bored expression before raising his brow at me.

Seth let go, and I dropped onto my feet and rolled my shoulders, before glaring back at the man over my shoulder and hissing, "Leave."

At the command, he squared his shoulders, but still stepped around me and yanked Hector to his feet. For as much gusto as he had, he was smart, and he knew when he was beat or outnumbered. The rest of the people slowly began to file after them, and I smiled triumphantly as they did so. Shade didn't though, he sighed heavily and spoke to the last person that was leaving, "Warren, please. I don't want you to get caught in the middle of the something on the wrong side."

"Who said it was the wrong side?" Hector piped, as he set his hand on Kilorn's shoulder like a father guiding his child. With a grin he continued, "I would suggest re-evaluating your side, your sister is already doing that."

"Mare is no position to be making decisions like that. Her judgements impaired." Shade replied as he straightened up, his protective brother mode obviously turning on. If Mare was in any form of trouble, then he was going to do everything in his power to protect her and put her on the right track. I was willing to help him too, because I had started to discover recently that if Shade was happy, then I was happy.

"She's not a little girl anymore Barrow, she's old enough to make her own decisions," Hector announced as he shoved Kilorn forward. With a dark grin over his shoulder though, he finished, "And I personally think that she hasn't thought any clearer. The time is coming though Shade, you know it is. Diana isn't fit for her position anymore, her personal problems are getting in the way. You might want to rethink what you want this rebellion to be."

With that, he turned on his heel, and left. I stood next to Shade though, both of us watching the group disappear around the corner to gather their dead comrade to deliver him or her over the glacier edge. As soon as they were all gone though, I huffed in disgust and said, "Good riddance, they're useless."

Shade's eyes narrowed a fraction and he replied, "Hardly, Hector may act out, but he has the right intentions. He cares about these people, sometimes more than our superiors."

"Superiors? I thought Farley was the leader." I stated as I stepped in front of him and met his eye for the first time in days. He was essentially inferring that he and Farley were not the top of the food chain, and from the bitter tinge to his voice, I had a feeling that he wasn't as high on the food chain as I thought he was. His expression softened when he took in my confusion, and with a sigh, he ran a tired hand through his hair and said, "Norta isn't the only country with a revolution right now."

My brow raised, and he reached out to take my arm in a tight grip. I glanced down at his hand in confusion and then whispered, "Not the only… honestly, when are you going to stop keeping secrets from me! I've already figured out about the dissenters, I know that there is no cure to this stupid thing, and I know that you're panicking about depleting stores. I think it's time you start telling me these things to my face though."

His lips quirked up in the slightest of smiles and running his hand up and down my arm softly he replied in an equally soft whisper, "Sometimes I forget that you were supposed to be a Queen. I really should stop doing that to myself."

I felt my chest constrict at his words, but he didn't notice the tension in my body, because his hand never stopped its movement on my arm. With a sigh that was heavier than the weight of the world, he dropped his hand and said, "I need to go speak with my sister, I suggest you stay out of Hector's way from now on."

"No," I insisted hotly, and he raised his brow at my tone. I stepped back from him and hissed, "I'm not scared of him, and I won't tiptoe around him."

He laughed softly, and then passing me, he glanced at me over his shoulder and with that smile that made me go weak at the knees he replied with wink, "I know blondie, I was telling you for his sake."

My heart fluttered at the nickname that was steadily growing on me. Only when he called me it though, I wouldn't take it from anyone else. Without even really thinking about it, I reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear in a sign that I had seen a few of the girls do around him a lot. After watching it often, I realized that it was a form of preening, some way of attracting him, to let him see my vulnerable side. Since the whole tough act wasn't really working for me anymore, I had decided to shift tactics. He seemed to gravitate toward the girls who needed protecting, and constantly gave his attention to them. Lately, he had been paying attention to me too though. Before our little squabble, he had been with me often, and I had gotten a little closer. He had dropped some of his walls, and in response, I had dropped one or two of mine. I was nowhere near ready to be completely vulnerable with him though. There was still the prickling of fear in my mind. I did not want my heart to be broken, and from the rumors that ran around the Guard, it sounded like Shade was the kind of guy to drop girls on a hat and move one quickly.

Before I could say anything in response to him, he walked away, and I was left watching his back recede into the shadows again.

 _(/ **Mare/** )_

It was extremely late at night as I crept through the hallways of Phoenix Legion's quarters. I had planned to never walk these hallways again, but after a few weeks, I realized that I had left a few things in the room that I had shared with Cal, and now, I was on my way get them. They really weren't that important, and I probably should have just asked him for them, but my pride was too inflated for that. Not to mention I couldn't bare to see the look on his face when I asked. It would be a complete severing of our ties, putting us right where we started when I first met him. I wasn't sure I could take that kind of separation either, but I couldn't take the secrets anymore either.

In the weeks that we had been separated, he had gone on one more solo mission, and had been gone for four days. I had pretended that I wasn't worried, that Hector's words hadn't danced around my head, but I would have been lying if I didn't admit that I almost went out after him. When he had returned, he had had the slightest perk in his step, as if he had received the first good news that he had heard in a long time. I was both jealous and furious at that idea. What had he been doing, where had he gone… who had he gone to or with?

I paused outside the door to what had once been out room, debating whether or not I wanted to knock or just walk in. Normally, he would be in a council meeting at this time, but if there were special circumstances like a quarantine, did that mean he would be in there sleeping? If he was, there was no way I could walk in without breaking down and crawling into the blankets behind him and telling him everything. I'd kept it bottled up so long though, and the mistrust had just grown like a seed. He was no better than his brother, no better than his father. Maybe once upon a time he had been, but just like every Silver he was rotten to the core.

Shade had tried to tell me earlier over lunch that I wasn't thinking clearly, that I was letting Hector poison my already paranoid thoughts. I had said the same things to him, and then I threw in the tid bit about Evangeline that I had been keeping to myself. He thought no one noticed, and thought me, his little sister who knew him better than anyone, didn't see the way he looked at her. I knew when Shade was steadily falling in love though, he always got a far away look in his eye when the person he desired walked by, but the look he gave Evangeline was something else. It was almost reverent, like he was the only man in the entire kingdom that knew her as she was behind the sharp features and brilliantly beautiful eyes. He had tried to keep his distance, and had tried to make himself believe that those feelings were not right, but in the end, his heart had won. I knew a thing or two about that feeling too.

He hadn't listened to me though, in fact he had looked pained at my response and accusations, and had hung his head in his hand weakly as if he were exhausted. I'd left after that, and found Kilorn who was more than happy to have me around again. Of course, Hector never breathed a word to me, but I was happy to be among people that understood, especially Kilorn who was willing to listen to me, instead of demanding to know how to fix everything. I had missed my best friend, but it never occurred to me that maybe the way I was thinking wasn't right. I was definitely right, Cal had been doing things he wasn't supposed to, most likely feeding information to the Silvers, and I had been played once more.

Shaking off my feelings, I pushed open the door and found the room empty and dark. With a sigh of relief, I felt my way around the room until I found the gas lamp on the table, and turned it on. The little flame hardly lit the room, but it was enough to see by as I began to pick my way across the room to find my things. It wasn't hard though, because Cal had folded them into a little neat pile and left them near what had been my side of the sleeping mat. My heart ached as I crouched down picked up the jacket and pants that I really didn't need. This whole thing had probably just been an excuse to come into the room and have a final goodbye with something that could never be.

Slowly I sank down onto the mat, and as I did, I heard the crinkling of paper somewhere underneath me. With a frown, I stood up again and tossed my clothes to the side, completely uninterested in them. Cal never kept his papers near the bed, they were always folded neatly into a folder and left on the table or near his things so that he could grab them on the way to a meeting. He was never so careless as to shove them somewhere.

I lifted up the sheet to reveal nothing but the mat though, and I huffed in irritation before slowly lifting up the mat to look underneath. My heart hammered as I did so and I took in the scattered papers all over the floor. I threw the mat to the side and grabbed the papers like they were water and I was dying in the desert. They weren't anything special though, just a list of all the major and minor cities and villages in Norta, and a few in Peidmont. One or two were circled, and the rest were crossed off. Cal's looping cursive was in the margins, but he had been writing quickly and the words all jumbled together. I tossed the papers to the side, growling in irritation as I poured over the other pages. Everything fell away as I read each wrinkling and fading page. Some had gotten wet at some point and the ink was fading, but it was unmistakable what the papers were. Some of them were like journal entries, with locations and what looked like meeting times. As I continued reading, I realized that the week Cal disappeared, he had written seven different times down, with locations of Scarlet Guard safe houses and the names of those Whistles. The Whistled had become our ground network for transportation. They offered a night at a house to rest and resupply before you continued your journey. Cal didn't seem to spend much time at each house though, only an hour or two to either resupply or sleep for an hour. I folded the papers in my hand and shuffled the rest aside, my heart aching in my chest. What had he been doing?

At the bottom or the pile was a massive map of Norta. It was beautiful too, like the one that had hung up in Julian's office, and around it were small notes in Cal's hand writing. I frowned as I leaned down on my hands and knees to read the tiny print. It wasn't just Cal's hand written though, there was another's. It was the same looping cursive from court though, but with a slight edge, as if the writer had scribbled it all down quickly. In the top corner was a number one and a small paragraph of information in the stranger's penmanship. The first few sentences were a riddle that said to follow your roots until you reached the well. I frowned as I tilted my head to the side and read Cal's handwriting off to the side. He had written a list of possible locations for the "well" and had drawn a line in ink from the capital of Archeon down toward Delphie. I traced it with the tip of my finger, and then found the next number which was written in Cal's handwriting. Another riddle had taken him along the Rift trade road, and to the edge of the Prince State and too a small village that was named Solstice. The final riddle said to travel south along the river of his birthright until fresh and salt were one. He had finished his journey at the very edge of the Nortian territory on the cliffs near the Wash. After that there were no more riddles, no more notes, and no more lines. I sat memorizing the path, determined to set out and find out where the it led myself.

"I see you've taken to snooping around."

My head snapped up, and I saw Cal standing in the doorway, his face hidden in slight shadow. His eyes still burned like fire though, and the darkness did nothing to hide his stare from me. I slowly rose to my feet then, clutching the paper with a ferocity that almost ripped it to shreds. Stupidly, I remained silent and just stared at him, trying to read him. He appeared to be doing the same, although he took a step forward into the room and then looked down at my handiwork and discovery. His eyes softened momentarily, and then with a tired sigh, he set his folder down and said, "I wondered when you would come back. I thought you never would."

"I'm not coming back," I hissed, and had the pleasure of seeing him flinch. Setting my jaw tightly though I held the papers out and insisted, "What is this? What were you doing?"

Sighing, he crouched down and brushed the papers into a neat little stack. I inhaled sharply and then when he reached out to gather the map, I stepped onto it. He was going to have to rip the damn thing if he wanted to hide it from me now. He looked up at me, and the pit of his irises burned with fury at my inference. I looked down at him with hopefully the same look, there would be no more games.

"What were you doing Tiberias?" The minute his birthname left my mouth, it made my heart ache, because I saw the agony that name caused him. I would do what I had to though to figure out what was going on. He smothered his emotions quickly, and rose to his feet, his jaw set tight as he prepared himself for the verbal sparring that was about to take place. Setting his shoulders back and meeting my eye, he said, "It's my business Mare."

I swelled in fury, and for the first time in a long time, I felt the crackle of electricity along my arms. Slowly, I drummed my fingers against my legs, feeling the sparks dance across them and between them as I did so. Cal didn't so much as look down though, his eyes wouldn't leave my own, and for a moment that was more painful than if he had looked down.

We stood in tense silence for a few heartbeats until he sighed heavily and let his chin drop to his chest in dejection. He had willingly given me the victory, and that hurt more than any words he could have spoken. Slowly, I exhaled the breath I had been holding and let the sparks die. I took a step back then, and watched as he crouched down again and gathered up the map. He turned his back to me and carried the papers over to the table and set them down softly.

With another long sigh, he massaged his temples and then whispered, "I was looking for him."

"For who?" I insisted, almost not letting him finish. Finally, we were getting somewhere. I almost couldn't contain my excitement, and I took quick steps to him, covering the length of the room quickly. So he hadn't been feeding information, or maybe he had, I didn't know anymore. Everything was so confusion now, nothing was black and white anymore. Even my feeling for Cal had taken on a hint of grey in the mess that my life had become. He had always been the rock in the storm though, and now that I had been drifting for so long, I needed it again. I needed to feel safe, even if he couldn't really protect me from Maven and everyone. There was an army looking for us, and he couldn't protect me from all of the Silver's, he couldn't protect me from the disease that was ransacking this compound, and he most certainly couldn't protect me from myself. But he could tell me the truth, he could tell me and I could come back, we could fix this, or try to. I needed him, I loved him, and if I didn't have him I felt like I was slowly spiralling into insanity. Or maybe I had always been going in that direction.

Glancing at me over his shoulder, he waved his hand and said, "My uncle, I...I read his letter again and noticed that he coded it on purpose."

"There was nothing coded in that letter," I spit. I should know, I had read it seven times. Cal only sank down onto the small table though and said, "It's an old code, one that he taught me when I was little. It was our secret, a way of communicating when no one else was looking. I thought he'd forgotten about it, but he left me a message in that letter. That's why he wrote the endnote to you. It was a sign for me to look into it, that there was more than just the words on the paper."

"And you didn't bother to tell me?" I hissed as I threw the paper I was still holding onto the ground. Fine he had told the truth, but he had kept that from me? It was nothing! He should have just told me, coded message or not. He glared at me when he saw my action, and spit, "Well it wasn't any of your business. He's my uncle, my family, and the code was meant for me to find, not you."  
"So? We promised to tell each other everything. We promised no more secrets!" I shouted, and he stood up so suddenly that I took a step back in surprise. His eyes flickered to the open door as he hissed, "Keep your voice down, everyone's sleeping."

"I'll shout whatever I want to shout, _your Highness._ "

His lips drew back and he sneered as he gestured out to the hallway and spit, "This was my burden to bear, my cross. I wasn't going to drag you into it incase something happened. Incase it was a trap, to capture both of us."

"You should have told me," I growled, and then looking him dead in the eye I whispered, "You're just like your father."

I should have known how far over the line I was. Cal didn't want to be his father, it was the last thing he wanted, and me inferring that he was like that was equivalent of setting him on fire. His facade shattered, and the temperature in the room skyrocketed as he leaned down and replied in an equally soft whisper that was filled with so much anger that it made me shiver, "And you're just like Maven sometimes, selfish, arrogant, and so goddamn cruel."

My heart shattered, and I felt my mouth open as the slightest of gasps escaped. For a second we stood in silence, my chest rising and falling as I tried to keep the tears at bay. He continued to glare at me though, furious that I had even crossed the line that he had so carefully laid. I couldn't bring myself to be angry at his own response though. I turned away, and wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to force the anger back, but it wouldn't come. He'd struck the winning blow, and he knew it. He was right though, I was like Maven sometimes, and it scared me to the the darkest part of my soul. I should have just taken the victory when I had it, I should have just walked away and left the room, but I'd selfishly thought I could get information out of him, and that I could manipulate him. I should have known better. I always hurt him when I did that, when I tried to be the person the Silver Court had made me into. Cal had fallen in love with a snarky Red girl from the Stilts, not a Silver Lady that could kill with a glare or a bolt of lightning.

"Maybe I am like him," I whispered, and as soon as the words had left my mouth, I felt the temperature return to normal as he cooled down. Glancing at him over my shoulder, I began to say something far worse though, something that would have delivered me the victory but would have severed our relationship so badly that it could never be repaired. "Maybe I was wrong, maybe I never loved y-"

Chelsea appeared in the doorway then, breathing heavily and obviously in a panic. She took in our stances, and seemed to hesitate for a second. Cal followed my eyes to her, and with a frown and growl he whispered, "What, Chelsea?"

Her lip quivered for a second, and then she whispered, "It's Maggie, she's… she's throwing up, and there's blood…"

Before she could even finish, the two of us were out of the room. Cal ahead of me since his legs were so much longer. Chelsea was right behind me, sobbing softly as she relayed everything that happened. Maggie had woken up an hour ago, saying that she wasn't feeling well, but Chelsea had told her it was probably something she had eaten at dinner, and told her to go back to sleep. She had started coughing though, and had woken up everyone else in the room, crying about how hot it was. Chelsea had turned on the lamp at that and had seen Maggie's soaked bedsheets, and Maggie's pale face and soaking wet hair. As soon as the light had come on, Maggie had rolled over and thrown up. There had been blood mixed in with it, and Torin and Oscar had panicked, while Chelsea had grabbed Maggie and lifted her up so that she wasn't lying on her back. She continued vomiting though, and crying for me and Cal, and had started coughing up small sprinkles of blood seconds later.

Cal burst through the door ahead of us, and immediately shouted at Torin and Oscar to get away from Maggie. The two boys scrambled away, their faces terrified as Cal crouched down and started asking Maggie about how she was feeling. The little girl was crying though, and didn't seem keen on answering, in fact, the only answer she gave, was a little sobbing cough that caused a little dribble of blood to roll down from her mouth. I crouched down next to her then, and taking her face in my hands I push her hair out of her face and checked her eyes. Sure enough, the veins were swollen and two had burst in her right eye, causing the usual milky color to turn bloodshot red. Her face was bright red too, and I could feel the fever raging underneath her skin. Without even looking at Cal I whispered, "We need to get her to the medical tent, she can't be in here, she'll get everyone else sick."

Our previous argument seemed to have gone out the window. It was funny how Maggie seemed to have that effect on us. She had pulled us back together a year ago, and had tried to nudge us in the right direction after she had realized our deepest desires by mistake or maybe on purpose, I wasn't sure. Here she was now though, in peril, and pulling us back together.

"What's going on?"

I glanced over my shoulder at Evangeline who was standing in the doorway with a very afraid Isabella behind her, with baby Gabriel resting in her arms. Maggie whimpered and then coughed, spitting blood all over my hands and arms, giving away exactly what was going on. Evangeline's eyes widened and she immediately turned around and started shouting at Isabella to get away. I thanked her silently for the second time since Shade had captured her and brought her to us. As soon as Isabella was out of the way, I shouted at Torin and Oscar to leave, and for Chelsea to take them to the medical center ahead of us. Cal latched onto my plan immediately, and taking the blankets around Maggie, he wrapped her up in them and then lifted her up into his arms. I was right behind him as we left. Maggie watched me over his shoulder as we left, and then closed her eyes, which caused tears to roll down her cheeks and into Cal's shirt.

Down the hallway from us, Evangeline stood with Isabella, watching us with terrified eyes. If Maggie was sick, then without a doubt, New Bloods were not immune, and there was a very high chance that all of us were infected now. For some reason that terrified me more than being sick myself. I was immune, none of the others were, they could all die because of this stupid thing, and once more, I would be alone.

(/)

Cal, and I were the only one's allowed inside the critical medical tent with Maggie. Torin, Chelsea, and Oscar had all been thrown into quarantine the minute they arrived, and Isabella was in one with Gabriel. We hadn't been able to see them, and that seemed to make things worse. If they were sick, then the last we would see of them would have been the terrified expressions on all their faces as they were herded away by medics wearing masks and protective gear.

Evangeline was in the process of being checked on the bed across from us since she had coughed in the presence of the medics. They hadn't listened when she said she had just swallowed wrong, and because of that she was sitting like a cat that had just gotten a bath. She bristled as the medic's poked her with needles and took blood samples, all the while asking her questions about how she was feeling and how long ago her cough had started.

Maggie was laid in a small sleeping mat, coughing and whimpering with her fever. The sickness had come on her so suddenly, but it had hit her harder it seemed. The medic seemed to think it might have had something to do with either her age or her blood type. Cal had shouted at him for an hour though, saying that I hadn't gotten sick, that there had to be a mistake. After that he had shouted about finding something we could do, some medicine we hadn't tried yet. The medic had done his best to try and calm him, and to tell him that all they could do was try to keep Maggie's fever low and keep her as comfortable as possible now. There was nothing else we could do for her except let her die in as little pain as possible. After that, Cal had sank down on the other side of mat from me and set his head in his hand. I had reached out to set my hand on his arm them, to try and console him, but I had pulled back at the last second. He wouldn't want me to say anything right now, let alone touch him.

We didn't speak to each other, but the words we had spoken still hung between us and stung. So I had sat running my hand through Maggie's hair whispering softly to her, and trying to calm her down so that she stopped coughing so much. My touch was soothing to me too though, and it helped calm me down. Maggie's fever had already dropped a few degrees with some of the medicine, but it wasn't good enough. Her body was shaking with chills, and every time she sniffed, some of her mucus dripped down and almost got in her mouth. She looked terrible, and terrified, and it didn't take a genius to know why. The disease had a perfect record. No one had escaped its clutches, and Maggie certainly wouldn't be the first looking like this.

The tent flap flew aside, and Shade stepped in, his eyes taking in all us at the same time it seemed. When he saw Maggie, the pain that flashed across his face mirrored my own, and I looked up at him sadly. All of my anger was spent, I had nothing left to give. He stepped into the tent, took in Evangeline and decided that he would be of better help over there. She threw him an icy glare when he asked her if she was okay, but she still answered that she was fine, and that she was just waiting for the moron medic to figure out she wasn't sick. Shade had chuckled at that, and had said that he was glad she was okay. I watched Evangeline melt under his words, and then look away quickly to hide that change. I had heard about Hector integrating Evangeline today, and how she had kept it together long enough for Shade to find her and put a stop to it. It seemed that something else had happened though, because neither seemed all that willing to let the other close to them.

The medic returned with Maggie's blood samples and with a sigh, he said, "There's nothing more we can do, it's in its later stages."

I bit my lip to keep from choking at those words, and then leaned down and pressed a light kiss on Maggie's forehead. She coughed softly and then whispered my name. I continued running my fingers through her hair, whispering that I was there for her. She closed her eyes with a tiny smile then, as if my words were enough to finally get her to sleep. I hoped she wouldn't sleep though. I was terrified that if she did, she would never wake up. I couldn't bury Maggie, I wouldn't be able to hold it together while they tossed her body into the eternal darkness at the bottom of the cliffs. She was too young and too sweet, she didn't deserve this kind of death. She deserved to go peacefully in her sleep, sixty or seventy years from now, when she was old and had lived her life.

Across from us, Shade said, "Farley was looking into another medical center, she thinks this one might have it."

"We've ransacked four different one's, what makes her think this one will be any different?" Cal spit bitterly. He had taken Maggie's hand in his own, and was rubbing his thumb along the top of her hand, trying to soothe her as well. He'd been trying to pull the fever out of Maggie by absorbing the heat, but it hadn't been working well so far. The fact that he couldn't do anything but sit and watch her die was wearing on him already too. I could see it in the slope of his shoulders, and the lines in his face. We were old before our time, and the lines and scars on our face told the story of why.

"It's located in Archeon." Shade replied carefully. Evangeline's head snapped up and she stared at Shade as if he had grown a second head. I narrow my eyes at him and then whispered, "No one's stupid enough to go there and try to break into a medical center."

"I am," Shade said with a soft grin that made my insides go cold. Why did he always have to be a hero? Couldn't he just sit back and do nothing for once in his life? I couldn't bear to lose him if he went, because without a doubt if he went, he could get killed. I would go with him if he was going, that wasn't in question. If he went, I was going too, and I was marching into the Whitefire Palace and tearing Maven to shreds in his bed. I would smear Maggie's blood all over his face, and lock the door so that the healers couldn't get to him. I would watch him die a slow and agonizing death, and when he finally died, I would go to my own death with a smile.

"I'm going with you then." Evangeline whispered before I could, her eyes like steel, and inviting no argument. Shade looked at her in surprise and opened his mouth to argue anyway. Evangeline stood though, and glaring at the medic she said, "Take the IV out, I'm not sick."

The poor man was so terrified that he actually almost fell as he sprinted to her and took it out slowly before wrapping the hole so that it wouldn't bleed. Pulling her arm out of his grip, Evangeline glared down at me and said, "You can't go Barrow, you're too recognizable."

"Oh and you're not?" I replied with a sneer, only for her to give me a melting butter smile that was honestly more terrifying than if she had sneered. Evangeline seemed to have that effect though, she didn't smile like that often, but when she did, you knew that you were doomed. I shrank back from her as she leaned forward and whispered with a honey sweet voice, "Of course I'm recognizable, they recognize me as their Queen, they know me as a High Lady of the Court, and they will hesitate when they see me. Now if they hesitate, I will rip their throats out, does that clear up your confusion?"  
My lips drew into a tight line, but I nodded anyway. She was right, in a sick twisted way, but she was right nonetheless. Cal glared at her and opened his mouth to say something, only for Evangeline to glare at him too and say, "And you aren't going either. They won't hesitate when they see you now. The effects worn off."  
He closed his mouth, and huffed in annoyance. So we would be stuck here together then, fantastic. It left too much silent time for us to mull over everything we had said to each other. Or, it gave us time to fix everything. Judging by the situation though, we were leaning toward the former.

Evangeline rose from her crouch, and then glanced at Shade who was leaning against the cot with his arms crossed and a slight grin dancing on his lips. When he saw the spark behind her eye, his grin turned until a real smile, and he rose from his seat saying, "We'll need to leave quickly. I'll have Noel fly us and a few others…"

"We can't take anyone but the pilot, they'll just slow us down." Evangeline insisted, as she raised her chin in response. Shade opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it and fell silent. She was right, and we all knew it. As bad as it was to only send two people, sending more into Archeon increased the chances of them getting caught, not to mention we didn't have anyone to really spare.

Shade seemed to nod as he reached the same conclusion as me, and then left the tent. Evangeline smiled softly for a second before starting after him. I watched her back for a second and then whispered, "Evangeline?"

She stopped at the tone in my voice, and looked at me over her shoulder. Our eyes met across the space and in that moment a thousand thoughts went through my head and wanted to escape through my mouth, namely, _don't hurt my brother, please keep him safe, don't get killed_ to name a few. Instead of those coming out though, I whispered, "Thank you."

She only frowned and turning away she replied, "Don't thank me yet."

At that she left the tent and Cal and I were left alone with Maggie, who's life was held in the hands of a bitter Silver woman, and my brother.

* * *

 _A/N_

 _Hello lovelies! Sorry for the break, it really has become a problem. ): Anway, here's the chapter, this is the chapter when shit starts to hit the fan. We've started to hit reach top of the rollercoaster before we drop off into the hell. MWAAHAHA. I'll see you all in the next chapter, no big updates in my life to really tell ya'll about anyway._

 ** _Question Time!_**

 _Any thoughts on how the mission's going to go for Evangeline and Shade? (it's gonna be intense peeps so be ready)_


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

The day after Evangeline and Shade left, the compound was charged with more energy than I could ever hope to put into a bolt of lightning. Hector had roamed the compound, whispering in everyone's ear that Evangeline had turned Shade, that she had him in her pocket, and that they two of them were never coming back. For the sake of everyone in the compound, and for my own mental health, I told them that that wasn't true. He vanished though, and no one could say where he or his close band of followers had gone. People had started listening to him more and more though, as they realized that the war was starting to drag out a little too long. I couldn't have agreed more with them. We had to stop hiding and trying to take the little bases. It was time to start striking at the heart of the Silvers, to take Air Bases again, and to start attacking the Palaces. We'd let Maven get away with too much, it was time to deal some blows of our own. I wouldn't dare say that I was essentially preaching exactly what Hector had been saying for the past few months.

With a sigh, I pulled my hair back into a loose knot at the top of my head. It was high time that I cut it, but in the past when I had laid next to Cal, he had run his fingers through it, and I had loved the feeling of his fingers trailing along the bottom of my shoulder blades. I forced the tight clench of my stomach away at the thought of him, at the thought of how desperate I was to lie in his arms again and feel the soft puff of breath that he expelled with each exhale.

I wouldn't think about it, I wouldn't think about the cold glares we threw at each other like they were weapons. But sometimes, it just happened, and my heart would clench in pain every time. I was a masochist though, and I continued to let myself feel the pain.

Slowly, I pushed the tent flap out of the way and stepped inside of the critical tent. It was louder in there today, with both the cries of the dying, and the weeping of the living as they cried over the dying. It was a pitiful spectacle, and I tried to avoid meeting anyone's eye as I made my way to the back where they kept Maggie. She was kept in a stable condition, with me and Cal alternating over watching her. We'd kept a safe distance from each other, and had tried to avoid each other at all costs. It was hard though, with the tight quarters of the tent, and us constantly coming to get the other and relieve them of duty.

When I reached the small alcove in the back, I lifted the thin curtain that had been put up for privacy and stepped inside. Maggie was curled up under three blankets, but I could still see her body shaking with fever underneath them. The only sign of her was the mass of curls that poked out from underneath the blankets. She had been sleeping most of the day and night, but when she was awake, she was delusional, spouting off about the thoughts that were going through other's heads at the moment. We tried to keep her calm, but she had no control over her ability, and she had actually on one occasion forced the medic to put the IV drip into his own arm. After that, she was sedated heavily, to keep her from making anyone else do something foolish.

Next to her, Cal was sitting back against one of the beams, his head lolling to the side as he slept. The lines that had come to dominate his face weren't as prominent when he slept. Sometimes, when I'd woken up in the middle of the night, and rolled over to look at him, I would see the handsome Silver prince again. I would see the boy who had smiled in moonlight rooms, and who had handed me two tetrarchs and listened to the story about a poor Red girl who was too good of thief for her own good. He would open his eyes though, and even though his features were heavy with sleep, he would became the General that the Scarlet Guard needed. The change was so merical now, that I sometimes missed it.

Slowly, I crouched down in front of him, and set my hand on his shoulder softly. He sniffed at the touch and shook himself awake, then with a tenuous movement, he reached up and ran his hand down his face. I pulled my hand away quicker than I really meant to, but it was the better alternative to him knowing that it was me who woke him up. He must have fallen asleep hours ago if this was his condition, but at the moment, I didn't have the heart to reprimand him. After he had rolled his shoulders back and stretched for a second, he straightened up and massaged the back of his neck, taking in my crouched form in front of him. He looked me up and down for a few seconds and then sighing, whispered, "How long was I asleep?"  
"I have no idea, I just came in to tell you that you're done for the day." I replied, a little stiffer than I meant to. His eyes snapped to me at the end of the sentence, as if he were holding onto the edge of every word I said. I wouldn't be surprised if he was doing that either. He had been trying to read me for weeks, and had been unsuccessful as far as I knew. At times, I wished he would stop, and just ask me what I was thinking about. Other times, I wished that he would continue doing it, that he would look me up and down like a puzzle that was missing the most crucial piece. When he did that, I felt like the world slowed, and we could see the auras that danced off of us and merged into a portrait in the space between us. The colors smashed together in the most violent, passionate way, but that was the way we were. I had learned to accept that we were a volatile mix, one that was bound to make a bomb one day, but I had never thought that it would explode so suddenly, or so ferociously.

He was quiet for a moment, and then he broke eye contact, and grumbling something under his breath, he rose. I prickled in anticipation, and twisting my lips, I whispered, so that I didn't wake Maggie, "What?"  
My words seemed to freeze him, although there was no ice, or fire, in them. I was tired of the childish games, even though I'd started them. I'd been wrong, or maybe we'd both been wrong. Was it too late to go back, to fix the broken ties, and rebuild the bridge? Had we stepped so far over the line that it could never be drawn again?

He only sighed at my words though, and crouched down to shift Maggie's blankets slightly so that he could give her a once over. She was still sleeping, and Cal reached out to run a tired hand over her hair, smoothing it down. Then glancing over his shoulder, but not meeting my eye, he replied, "I just said that I was going to check on her."

I wished that I didn't think he was lying, but it was so hard these days to tell whether or not he was. I watch him closely, hoping to draw the truth out, but he doesn't say anything else. Instead, he rose from his crouch and left to wash his hands and face in a bowl on a small table off to the side. He had a sheen of sweat on his neck, that I hadn't noticed earlier, and he looked rather pale in the low light. He wiped the sweat away before I can ask him about it though, and I end up rising as well, but remaining a few steps away from him. As he wiped his face, I whispered, "We need to talk."

He chuckled darkly, and I remember that a month ago, he had told me the exact same thing. How could one month make such a difference? In my heart of hearts though, I needed to talk with him, and take back what I said. I would swallow my pride for a few minutes if it meant bringing him back and keeping him again. It would not be the same though, glue and tape did not fix everything.

He tossed the towel down and turned to lean against the rickety table and meet my eye. Crossing his arms in a show of being at ease, he raised his brow and said bitterly, "Very well, let's talk."

"Not here," I replied softly, and glanced down at Maggie for emphasis. She shifted in her drug induced sleep and stretched her hand out, as if she were reaching for something through the haze of her fever dreams. She'd been whispering about her father all night while I was watching her. At first she's just whispered for him, and then she's started crying, begging him to come back, or to not leave, until eventually, she fell to silence once wasn't much that I could do except just sit with her and rub her back, trying to soothe her. It was hard when she was locked inside of her own head though, and I had given up trying to console her after an hour or two.

Cal glanced down at her at my mentioning, and then nodded, and started out of the small alcove. I followed him on his heels, and pulled the curtain closed behind me. One of the nurses looked up from her patient and watched us walk by, her eyes on Cal suspiciously. My stomach curled upon seeing her narrowed eyes and twisted lips. It had been so long since one of the reds had looked at Cal like that. They all loved him and admired him as much as he had come to do the same. Hector's words were like poison though, and they were pumping through the compound like the virus pumping through everyone's veins.

We stepped outside of the medical tent, and he turned to face me, his eyes waiting and watching expectantly. The words froze in my mouth though, and I looked away quickly to avoid his eye. After a few seconds of this, he throws his hands up and then running them back down his face, he says, "Talking usually involves people speaking, Mare."  
"I'm trying to think about how to phrase it." I spit back, and I get the pleasure of seeing him raise his brow in surprise. His next words prick at my heart though like needles.

"Well that'll be a first for you." He grumbled bitterly as he stepped out of the way to let a nervous medic pass between the two of us. The tension was broken for a moment, and he sighed before rubbing at the back of his neck and wincing. He stretched it for a second and then grumbled about it, before meeting my eye and saying, "This whole talking thing isn't working anymore, Mare."

I stiffened and finally turned to meet his eye. He looked so tired, and I saw the white flag in his irises. I reached out to take his hand, to pull him back, but he pulled his hand away and took a pointed step backwards. His implication was clearer than crystal, there would be no easy out for me this time. I pull my hand back at that thought, and end up biting my nail to hide how much his movement hurts me. I drop my hand quickly though, I will not show him weakness. I will not be the one to give in. It just wasn't in my being to wave the flag yet.

We stood like that then, until he glanced over my shoulder when someone walked by. I turned to see Kilorn watching us with a quirked brow near the path between the medical tents. He was normally a part of Hector's main gang, so it was little strange to see him wandering around by himself. Especially in the medical area, where he had no business being. No one he knew was dying at the moment, at least, not that I knew of.

He met my eye and then shrugging, put his hands in his jacket pockets and walked away. I watched him go, suddenly wishing he were standing next to me, with his snark aiding mine, just like we used to when we were kids. When I look back at Cal though, his jaw is set tight and his eyes are far away, as if he's thinking about something else other than the present in front of us. He and Kilorn had been even more volatile lately, and I think I had only stroked those flames by spending more time with Kilorn. My best friend had been so much easier to talk to lately though. He was an open book that I had no trouble reading and manipulating him, even though the latter caused me more pain. I missed the simple days, when he and I were just two kids, trying to outrun time. It had caught us though, and laughed in our faces as it threw me down a path that he couldn't follow. These days, I wasn't sure if it was for the best that I had discovered my ability. Somedays, I wish I had just gone to the front lines and died like every other Red. But if I had done that, the Guard wouldn't be here, Cal would probably have been killed in his bed, and Maven would still be King. At least I had a chance to fight, and a chance to win, no matter how slim it seemed.

"You've been spending a lot of time around Hector and his group." Cal whispered, as he tucked his hands in his pockets and tried to avoid meeting my eye. I shuffled my feet for a second, wondering how he knew that. When I wasn't in the tent with Maggie, I was generally eating with them, or listening to what they had to say, and I had not crossed paths with Cal while I was doing that.

It was said that if you knew the enemy, you could kill it that much easier. But what had originally been me just dipping my toe into their ideals, had become a full emersion. The more time I spent with Hector and his group, the more I started to realize that perhaps, they were right, and that maybe, just maybe, we were in the wrong. The Guard had been getting slower, and had been falling apart. There were too many secrets, too many people above us that knew too much, and too many doors that remained locked. It was only a matter of time before we were overrun and killed.

"I like what they have to say, their views are practical." I replied carefully, picking my way around his obviously bad mood. I would watch my temper this time around, I wouldn't say anything I'd regret. Not that I completely regretted what I had said. I had spoken the truth when I said that he reminded me of his father sometimes, but I hadn't meant to spit it like a curse. He took the bad that his father had been and made it good. He was becoming the dutiful king that wanted the best for his people, and not just the ones that shared his blood.

His lips pulled into a tight line at my words and he growled, "What views? That we should just march out and get everyone killed? Screw the lives of every person in the Guard, as long as we get even a glimpse a potshot at a Maven?"

"It's better than just sitting around here doing nothing." I replied hotly. This was not the direction I wanted the conversation to go at all. Here we were though, going around in circles again, ripping at each other's throats. Maybe that was all we were destined to do?

"Nothing?" He barked with laughter, and then gesturing to the compound around us he hissed, "We're doing nothing? We're barely staying alive! We're taking care of our wounded, and our sick. We can barely put together a party to go get supplies, let alone a full strike team!"

I straightened up and then pointing my finger at him threateningly I replied, "We're sitting around like pigs waiting to be slaughtered! There are plenty of people who can go out and take more medical centers and steal supplies."  
"And who would that be Mare, is it Maggie, you, me? Shade and Evangeline are out there right now risking their lives to bring back whatever they can get their hands on. We're outgunned though, we need to sit back and try to recount our numbers to do damage control-"

"We don't have time to do that! Every second we waste sitting and counting, is another New Blood dead, another Red kid killed in the Choke! It's another baby starved to death, another man whipped for Maven's amusement!" I shouted at him as I went toe to toe with him again. The air in between us became charged with electricity, and I narrowed my eyes at him as he squared his shoulders for a fight as well. We stood like that for a few seconds, neither of us calming down or backing down for that matter. His next words only charged me up even further though when he said, "And what does Hector propose we do, Mare? Since you seem so keen to follow other people's ideas instead of your own now."

I felt the sparks on my fingers and clenching my fist, I whispered coolly, "We need to go out and hit back, we need to fight."  
He pulled back and laughed, his eyes rolling as he replied, "And who are we going to fight? Who are we going to destroy?"

His words sounded like an accusation, and my blood ran cold as I realized that once more, he was picturing Maven standing before him, and not me. I fell to silence at that, unsure of how to respond. Who did we fight? We couldn't get close to Maven, and we couldn't touch Archeon without losing the entire Guard. I couldn't bear to think about what would happen then. The blood that would pour into the streets would stain them for years, and Maven would finally have his victory. He would hand me and Cal from the gates and let the entire country see what had become of their Little Lightning Girl, and their Traitor Prince.

Cal latched onto my hesitation when it stretched out for too long, and continued, his voice rising in magnitude and tension as he spoke, "We can't just destroy everything! We have to preserve some form of order, or else there will be anarchy. And I refuse to be the King with the blood of his people soaking the throne room on his coronation night."

He spoke with such fire that I was surprised it didn't leap off of his tongue. The air in between us was charged with heat and electricity though. There was enough of it that I wouldn't have been surprised if we set the world on fire in that moment. When he had finished speaking though, he reached up and massaged the bridge of his nose, and I noticed a bead of sweat run from his hairline down to his temple. We stood so close that I could see the veins standing out in his neck, and how pale his face looked.

I set my jaw, refusing to back down though, there was an argument that I had, and I was completely prepared to say it. Before I could though, Cal closed his eyes and rocked back onto his heels for a second before correcting himself and resting his head in his hand. I watched in morbid confusion as he wavered on his feet again and then collapsed forward.

I screamed his name in horror as I caught him. His weight knocked me to my knees, and I barely held him up as he leaned against me. He was limp in my arms for a heartbeat, before his body tensed and he coughed harshly. I held him tightly, and felt his chest heave as he tried to breath around the hacking cough that racked his body. He shifted to press his fist against his mouth to stop the air from touching me and infecting me, even though nothing had infected me in the first place.

Eventually he stopped long enough to pull away from me slightly, and look at his hand. Across the back of his hand and palm were sprinkles of bright silver blood, and when I looked up at his face, I saw that his lips were coated in it too. My heart raced at the sight of so much blood, and I grabbed at his face immediately to feel his temperature, and felt the heat that rolled under his skin. I had thought it was just his ability raising his body temperature as he became more and more frustrated with me, but this was another kind of heat. It was so hot, that I had to pull my hands away with a yelp, revealing the skin of my palms which was bright red.

Cal rocked on his knees, and almost collapsed forward again, only for me to catch him and support him. He continued to look down at his hand in fury though, as if it disgusted him, and then with a croaking whisper he said, "Dammit."  
With that though, he collapsed completely into my arms, his body limp. I looked around wildly for anyone to help me and then shouted for a medic. His body shook in my arms, and then he started coughing again. I could feel the effort it took for him to breath in between each fit, and it terrified me.

I cried his name once more, but all he could do to respond, was grab my arm and clutch it tightly, like I was a lifeline and he had been set adrift in the middle of a storm. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, and holding him close I whispered in his ear, "It's okay, I'm here, it's okay…" I trailed off as hot tears rolled down my cheeks and landed in his shirt. This couldn't have been happening, he hadn't gotten sick before, he had been fine. Why now, what had changed?

The medics arrived then, and pulled him away from me. I screamed at that, and tried to kick at them, to grab onto him once more. They held me back though, telling me that it was okay, that I needed to sit still. They started to rip my jacket off, and anything of mine that had been in contact with Cal. I could still feel his hand on my arm though, like the imprint of his fingers had been burned into my skin. When I looked down, I saw that the skin was bright red and starting to bubble with blisters in the shape of his hand. He'd never burned me like that, and the nurses looked at it in surprise before calling for a cold compress.

All I could do was watch as they dragged him into the medical tent, and shouted for IV's and medication. I reached out desperately for him, before the nurses working with me grabbed my outstretched hand and started scrubbing at it feverishly with a sponge and towel. I barely noticed though. The world was spiralling out of control, and my heart was pounding so fast in my throat that I thought I would throw up. All I could think about was the last things I had said to him, that he was like his father, that he was no better than any other Silver, that he was wrong and that his way of doing things was stupid. Would he die and go to an icy grave thinking I didn't love him? I had almost said it too the night before. I had almost said that I didn't love him anymore. That would have been a lie though. I needed him, I loved him, and if he died in that medical tent, then I wasn't sure what would be left in the world to keep me tethered to it.

 _(/_ _ **Evangeline**_ _/)_

I sat, perched up on top of one of the many roofs near the main medical center in Archeon. Below me, children played in the street, their brightly colored winter clothing and scarves marking the time of the Winter Festival. The streets were strung up with lights, and everyone was rushing through the snow to finish their errands so they could rush home and start preparing for the evenings entertainment. If I were Queen still, I would have been in the palace, preparing for a ball, or organizing the massive dinner for the families of Piedmont that came to visit and renew ties. As much as I missed the glamour of the season though, something behind me kept me much happier.

Shade was crouched behind me in the notch between the window and the roof, rubbing his hands together and blowing warm air into them every so often. His breath was like a puff of smoke every time he exhaled, and he grumbled about the cold every few seconds. I would smile every time too. This had been his idea, and it was funny to watch him curse at outside things that he had no control over.

Lowering my binoculars for the first time in what felt like hours, I glanced at him over my shoulder and teased, "Cold feet, Barrow?"  
"Shut it, Blondie." He spit as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his thick jacket and huddle closer in the crevice. I laughed softly and then turned back to the building lifted up my binoculars again.

The compound wasn't as heavily guarded as I thought it would be, at least on the outside. There were only a few guards patrolling the walkways along the top, and the only gate in had a single guard that was doing a poor job of checking the truck that was about to go in. I watched him open the back doors and climb in to check the cargo, before lowering my binoculars again and sitting back to think about how to get around him. The compound only had one exit and one entrance, which happened to be that gate. We didn't need to worry about an exit strategy so much as an entrance one, but I wanted to be safe. I didn't want to go along on one of Shade's jumps unless I absolutely had to.

I lifted up my binoculars one more time and watched the guard wave the truck in. It pushed through the snow, and I set my jaw tightly as I tried to think about how we were going to get past the guard.

As I was looking through, Shade's eye appeared in my field of view, magnified almost a hundred times, and he said mockingly, "Do we have a problem?"  
I dropped the binoculars, and pushing his face out of the way, I said, "We will if you keep asking stupid questions."

Huffing in annoyance, he sat down in the snow next to me, apparently forgetting the cold long enough to continue saying stupid things. "We've been watching the building for three days now, everyone's going to be dead before we even get back with the medicine."

Narrowing my eyes at his tone, I packed my binoculars away in the satchel I had and replied coolly, "If we don't plan this well, then they will never get the medicine because _we'll_ be dead." I stood after that and, slung the bag over my shoulder before picking my way along the rooftop carefully. Shade scrambled after me, kicking snow down the roof that would probably fall on the unsuspecting Silver children below. He caught up to me as I approached the door that lead into the top room of a bar and inn. I brushed the snow away with a gloved hand, and silently cursed the thin material as the snow bit at my fingertips. The latch came into view, and grabbing it tightly, I yanked the door up and then grabbed onto the ladder and started climbing down. Shade followed, still jabbering away as usual, and completely unaware that I wasn't listening.

He shut the door above us and then climbed down in the semidarkness, saying, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalling."

I crossed my arms in reproach at his comment, and then waving my hand in a flourish I replied, "Ah yes, congratulations, you've figured out my whole plan."

He jumped the last de rungs and with a shrug at my comment, he nudged me as he passed and winked. Then flipping the brim of my snow cap backwards so that I fell off, he said, "I've been told I've very observant Blondie."  
As I bent down to grab my hat, I dusted it off and said, "The only thing you're going to be observing in the next few seconds, will be my fist rapidly approaching your nose."

He chuckled, and waved away my threat before starting out of the room and down the stairs. The sounds of the bar downstairs were loud and the crowd was especially rowdy tonight. No doubt the Reds had gotten off work early due to the Festival and were celebrating by downing as much of a bitter, vile drink as they could. Shade had pointed out that our best source of intel would be the Silver guards that sometimes drank in the taverns too, and for that reason we had trudged through five miles of snow every morning to stake out a spot in the tavern. Shade would sit there the whole day then, watching people or looking out the frosted window at the streets. I had taken to scouring the streets for information, while staking out the medical center. It had surprised me at first when he had told me to go alone. Apparently he trusted me more than he let on, because if I were him, I would have never let me go. I could easily go to a guard and put in an anonymous report that he was there, not that I would do that. That was the Evangeline who had first come into the Guard, bitter and resigned to her fate.

I followed him down the stairs, removing my gloves and lifting my collar to hide my more prominent features. No one had noticed me yet, but there was not a doubt in my mind that someone was bound to look over and tilt their head at a certain angle and then nudge their friend and say that I looked suspiciously like the traitorous Queen.

Shade took a seat at the bar, and then gesturing to the stool next to him, held up his hand up for two drinks and then threw me a smirk and wink as I sank onto the stool. I rolled my eyes and pulled my hair out of the braid to let it fall across my face and hide my features. The barmaid dropped two glass in front of Shade and then a bottle of something. She gave him a soft smile and then leaned against the bar to ask him something. Her body position made me sit up straighter and set my jaw tightly. She leaned close to him and asked if there was anything else he needed, but Shade gave her a gentle smile and said that there wasn't before putting a few small coins on the table for payment.

She pouted at his dismissal, and then left in a huff, taking the money with her. I refused to relax as I glared secret daggers at her back. There was plenty of metal around for me to bend into knives, but doing so would completely ruin the mission, and I wasn't going back to that compound empty handed.

Taking the small glasses in his hand, Shade poured some of the clear liquid into them and handed me one of them. I glared at it, until he nudged it toward me and said, "It's one drink Blondie, it won't kill you. Besides, you need to loosen up a little."

I took the glass from him, spilling a little bit of the liquid on my hand. I shook it off, and Shade smiled as he held up his own glass and whispered, "One toast if you don't mind your Highness, to the red dawn, may it be a little faster in coming than your plan."

He laughed at his joke and then clinked his glass against mine before placing it against his lips and tipped it back until all of the contents had gone down his throat. I frowned as I swirled the liquid for a few seconds and then said, "You're not worried at all that the Guard will die out or fracture?"

Sighing, he poured more of the liquid into his glass and shaking his head softly he murmured, "You ask too many hard questions."  
"You mean, I ask about what you don't want to think about." I replied stiffly before setting my glass down and glaring at it. Alcohol was not something I was partial too. Wine was fine, I could sip at a glass as I had done plenty of times before at parties, but stuff like this that burned as it went down my throat and sat in my stomach, made me sicker than a dog in the middle of summer. Shade smiled at my words and then setting his own glass down, he looked at me sideways and asked, "Alright, may I ask a hard question then, since you get to ask all the time and I never do?"

"I asked you a question first."

"This isn't exactly twenty questions." He said with a grin before picking up his glass and downing the second one. He squeezed his eyes shut, and swallowed before setting the glass down again. He shifted so that he was leaning against the bar, and looking out at the crowd around us. I followed his eyes, but kept my back to the crowd, determined to keep my existence a secret.

After few seconds, Shade tilted his head in my direction and asked, "What do you see when you look at us? What do you really see, and I want the truth here, not the bullshit you spew to keep your skin on your back."

I shifted uncomfortably, and then running my fingertip along the rim of the glass, I looked at the crowd in the dirty mirror behind the bar. If I was being kind, I would say that I saw a bunch of drunken men who were hip deep in prostitutes and alcohol, but Shade didn't want "kind". Shifting to look at me, he raised his brow expectantly, and I ran my fingertip along the rings in the bar top to avoid his eye.

"I see a people who has been beating to its knees for so long that it doesn't want to get up anymore, and who has come to accept the fate that had come upon it." I looked up at the mirror as I said this, and Shade turned with a sad expression on his face to meet my eyes in the mirror. We looked at each other in the dirty reflection for a second before he said, "I asked you what you saw in the people around you, not yourself."

My hand closed in a fist, and I looked away before getting off the stool. I hadn't meant to be soft in that moment, and I had been honest about what I said. I couldn't afford to let him under my shields. I grabbed my hat and gloves and said, "I'm going back to the airship, I'm tired."

"Blondie-" He began but I put my hat on and pulled my scarf tight, I shouldn't have said anything in the first place. I put my gloves on and then glancing at him with narrowed eyes I said, "Try not to be back too late, we might be up early again tomorrow."

He reached out to grab my arm but I had already started through the crowd. I hugged my elbows close to my chest as I squeezed through the crowd, and kept my head down. I glanced over my shoulder to see if Shade was following me, but he was still sitting at the bar, deep in thought. I set my jaw tightly, and then pushed open the door, cursing him silently as I stepped out into the frigid air. The cold immediately bit at my nose, and I squeezed my eyes shut to keep them from watering. The sun had been setting as we'd climbed off the roof, and by now, it was completely dark outside.

There were a few Silver guards heading down the street as I exited the tavern, and gasping softly, I tugged my scarf up to hide my features and ducked into the tiny alcove next to the doors. They all come down the walkway, laughing and sharing stories. They looked older, possibly older than my father, which wasn't exactly surprising. Although younger bodied men made good soldiers, it was the old men in a young man's profession that were dangerous.

They passed by me without so much as a glance, but I still caught snippets of their conversation as they walked by. One of them was talking about a large shipment that was coming in later that night. Samson Merandus' name was thrown around once or twice, and they all seemed rather agitated that he was supposedly coming at all. My skin crawled when I heard that, but they dropped the subject after one of them nudged the others and gestured to a Red man coming out of the tavern. They let him pass and then continued whispering again. This time, it seemed that fate was going to smile upon me and throw me a bone after leaving me to starve for so long.

The shipment was coming in during the early hours of the morning, right before dawn to be exact, and would be coming in a massive caravan bearing cargo. My stomach turned and my heart raced at what that could mean. If Shade and I could somehow get in with that caravan, there would be a time when everyone would be so busy unloading and checking the cargo, that they wouldn't notice two stowaways. As I listened closer, hoping to find out how many guards would be with the shipment, and how many trucks as well, they dropped the subject matter altogether and disappeared into the tavern.

I cursed softly and then running tired hands down my face, I exhaled harshly through my nose and tried to force myself to relax. After that, I took one more deep breath to center myself, and then realized that Shade was still in the the tavern completely unaware that the guards were coming in. I panicked as thousands of scenarios involving him being caught and tortured ran through my mind, causing me to dash back into the tavern. The minute I did though, I sensed the change in the atmosphere. There was less shouting, and most of the people at the bar had turned to face forward and we trying to drink and mind their own business. The spot that Shade had occupied was empty though, and I stiffened in terror as I looked around and noticed that he was nowhere to be found.

The guards were walking around though, obviously here for more than drinks from the looks of it. I remained frozen in the doorway, unsure of what to do, if I tried to leave, I would be stopped and my identification would have to be checked. We had tried to avoid this situation as much as possible though, because we hadn't brought the proper documents to fake an identity. At the moment though, the big problem was that Shade wasn't in the room, which meant that he had either left through a backdoor or was hiding. If he hadn't gotten out though, then I was certain that my heart would shatter, never mind the fact that I could never go back to the compound without him. Just the thought of being without him at the moment was enough to make my palms sweat and my heart race.

Backing away quietly to avoid being noticed, I tucked myself into a small crevice created by a thick post and the door. As I backed into the shadows, a hand slipped out and wrapped around my mouth, before someone pulled me farther in. I was flipped around so my back was to the wall, only to meet Shade's eye as he kept his hand over my mouth and raised his finger to his lips in an order for silence. I pushed his hand away and then hissed, "We need to leave, there are guards."

"Keen observation skills there Blondie, did they teach you that in princess school?" Shade replied with an eye roll and a glance over his shoulder to see where the guards were. I pulled back slightly, and ended up bumping into the wall which forced me back toward him. He glanced down at me and then asked softly, "Any other observations you want to discuss?"

I wanted to punch him in the throat and say that yes, there was one more. He was much too close to me, and I was much too frazzled by that fact. I held back though, and curling my fingers into a tight fist, I set my jaw and didn't respond. Shade only smiled though, and chuckling to himself, he pulled me farther along the wall, until we were hidden behind heavy cloth shrouds that were meant to keep the chill out. As he pulled me behind him, he looked back and whispered, "You never cease to surprise me."

I opened my mouth to say something to him, but he yanked a drape aside to reveal a door in the wall. Yanking it open to the cold night, he gestured outside and I slipped into the freezing air once more. He followed and shut the door behind us, then burrowing his hands in his pockets he offered me a teasing grin and said, "Are you going to tell me why you stormed out of there in the first place?"

Huffing in irritation, I turned on my heel and started in the direction of the medical center. Shade had to step quickly to follow me, and eventually he did catch up, and the minute he did, I didn't give him a second to ask any more questions or speak.

"There is a giant shipment coming in at dawn, and we are getting into the medical center with it." I announced as we trudged through the ankle deep snow. Shade grabbed my arm though and pulling me to a stop he said, "And how do you plan on doing that exactly? That shipment convoy wasn't on the manifest you checked this morning. Who's to say if it's even real?"

"Samson Merandus is on it." I replied coolly, and then yanking my arm out of his grip I started back down the road again. Shade threw his arms up and then storming after me, he shouted, "And how is that any better?"

Flipping around on him, I stepped as close to him as I could, and glared up at him, until he swallowed. I watched his Adam's apple bounce up and down as he did that, and I turned away to avoid meeting his eye as I watch it. He was made of something else, something from the deepest part of the universe that had come down and consolidated in human form, just to tempt me and drive me up the walls insane. I wasn't sure how much more I could take before I broke, the cracks were already starting to show up in the framework. It was only a matter of time until I shattered completely and at the most inopportune time.

"It's better because people are afraid of him, and because of that, they'll make little mistakes, the kind that wouldn't normally happen. They won't check all the cargo, or they won't inspect every single person that comes in Samson's entourage. They will want him in and out of that facility as quickly as possible, which means there will be slip ups, we just have to be one of those slip ups." I growled as I met his eye again. We were standing in the pool of light from a hanging lamp above our heads, and his eyes were illuminated by it. In that moment, I couldn't help it, I stared. I marveled and wondered how someone like this could be considered below me because of their blood. He was beautiful, and like a sun he glowed from the inside out, bathing everyone in his ambiance. Sometimes, I felt like someone was dragging nails down a chalkboard when he did that around me, but it was only because I knew deep down that I didn't deserve that light. I didn't deserve to be basking in his solar flare, not with the things I'd done. But when I stood there, next to him, or near him, I felt like I was being filled with the same light. It was as if a piece of it had detached itself and ended up in me. It was the faintest glow, but I felt it none the less. I felt like when I was with him, I could be a good person, that I could wipe my leger and start over. At the moment, I would have done anything to clean the red and silver that was dripping from my past.

"Alright well, we'll just have to figure out a way to get in then. I assume we'll have to scout out the convoy..." he trailed off as he noticed my staring, and I snapped back from my moment of clarity. I pushed a loose hair out of my face and looked away to avoid his eye. He must have known, he had to have known by now that my stares were too frequent, and too obvious. I was like a child again that had no idea who to navigate my first ball, with my mother clutching my shoulder and forcing me to stay by her side and appear proper while the other children ran amuck. I could feel my family's stares behind my back even now, all of them denouncing me as I slowly began to fall further and further into the web I had stepped into. I had chosen to jump though, I'd made a vow to the Guard, I'd singled Shade Barrow out, and I had let my feelings for him cloud my better judgement. I should have known better, I wasn't strong enough, I had never been strong enough. Who was I to think I could have been Queen? I would have been murdered in my bed by the monster masquerading as my husband. My husband, the child king, that would slaughter all of his people as long as he could put his fingers around his brother neck and squeeze just so that Mare Barrow would be forced to watch.

"Are you sure we'll be able to pull it off?" Shade asked softly as he craned his neck to look down and meet my eye at the odd angle. I straightened up at his question, and meeting his eye, I whispered, "Without a doubt."

(/)

We had waited for the convoy to arrive, and it arrived right on schedule. Over seven trucks, with Samson riding in the front, his royal robes obvious in the breaking dawn. The trucks all rolled to a stop in front of the gates, and a guard came out to greet Samson. The last one in the line was resting in front of us, and the driver looked impossibly bored as he rested his chin in his hand.

Shade was crouched next to me, and after looking the trucks up and down a few times, I said, "There's no way we're getting into one of those."

He chuckled, and then adjusting his gloves he whispered in my ear, his breath stirring the baby hairs there, "You've obviously never had to spend a day on the streets in your life."

My heart accelerated at his close proximity, but I met his eye cooly and replied in an equally sarcastic tone, "You've obviously never learned to assess a situation properly."

With a shrug and a wink that would have made even silver ladies go weak at the knees, he slipped out from behind the mound of snow that had been our hide out for the past few hours. I gasped in surprise, but watched as he sprinted across the snow, only to drop down in a slide that took him under the belly of the truck. My head snapped toward the gates, but the Guard was engrossed in conversation with Samson, and hadn't noticed Shade's daring stunt. Expelling a sigh of relief at that fact, I looked back at Shade's hideout. He had poked his head out from underneath the truck, and giving me a wide, mischievous smile, he motioned for me to join him.

I glanced back at the gates, before I slowly edged out from my hiding place. The guard was stepping away from the truck and was motioning the convoy forward. With a strangled cry, I took four long strides to the truck at a sprint and then threw myself down into the snow and slid under to join Shade. I slammed into him just as the truck rumbled to life above our heads, and spit black smoke out. It engulfed us for a second, but Shade grabbed onto my hands and guided them to two pipes. I grabbed on, and then morphed them into two handles. He settled below me, and then wrapping his legs with my own, he pulled us up toward the bottom of the truck.

It rolled forward, and I felt his arms shift to cradle my weight more as we rocked side to side with the movement of the truck. His breath was hot on the back of my neck and I was suddenly self-conscious to the fact that his entire body was pressed against mine. I could feel the heat rising up in my cheeks at that fact, and I swallowed heavily to force the knot in my stomach down. Shade grunted as he shifted his position to better accommodate his own weight, and I cursed my bodies response to that sound, before pulling myself up higher.

My arms started to shake as we approached the gate, and Shade's breathing was coming in faster and harsher as he struggled to hold on as well. His lips brushed against my ear as he whispered, "Almost there."

"We have to get inside," I hissed softly, but I wasn't sure if he heard me over the roar of the engine above us.

The truck rolled through the gate, and through a mound of snow that funneled its way underneath to us. I felt Shade's grip loosen as the snow buffeted us from all directions, and with my eyes squeezed shut against the exhaust and frost, I wrapped my hands around his and forced the metal to fold in a sheet around our hands to keep them in place. The frozen metal cut into my wrists, and I gritted my teeth against the sharp sawing that came with each rock of the truck. As much as it was excruciating, the thought of being crushed under the wheels or being discovered seemed a thousand times worse at the moment.

As soon as the snow assault had started, it stopped, and we rolled across the threshold of a massive hangar sized door. The temperature had risen almost ten degrees, and I could hear the grinding of the machinery, as the massive door slid to a close behind us. We came to a stop a few feet away, and I shifted my head slightly to listen to the conversations of the guards as they passed by. Farther away, doors slammed, and boots marched passed our hidden space. I tensed as one of the guards paused next to us, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to crouch down to check underneath the truck, only for someone to call for him. He huffed in annoyance and then kept walking.

We remained in our position for a few minutes before I dropped the metal sheets and let us collapse to the floor. Shade grunted underneath me as I landed on top of him, but with a soft laugh, he whispered, "Thanks for the support, I would probably be roadkill out in the middle of that courtyard if it wasn't for you."

I grinned wildly at his grateful comment, and hid it by wiping at the frost on my cheeks and lips. I rolled off of him slowly and onto my front, with my elbows underneath me, propping me up. At that point, I forced my features to a neutral stage, and said to him, "Well, I couldn't have done this mission on my own, and I'd rather get it over with quickly. I don't want to spend more time around Samson than I have to." With that I started to crawl out from under the truck.

"Is he really that terrifying?" Shade asked mockingly, as he followed me, his shoulder only a hairbreadth away from mine. With a grin, I looked back at him and replied, "About as bad as me on a good day."  
He at least had the decency to smile, but I could see the worry behind his eyes. Samson was a whisperer, neither of us was prepared to fight someone like that. The only person capable to fighting such a person was a little girl that was lying on a bed dying of a disease that we were trying to get a cure for. Even then, there were rumors that Samson was even stronger than his sister had been. But a rumor was a rumor, and I knew first hand how deceiving those could be.

Shade's smile fell quickly as he peeked out from under the truck next to me. We both observed the hangar sized space we were in, and at the few guards that were stationed above our heads. They walked around, pretending to be at the ready, but their overconfidence was their weakness. They thought that after the Guard's first failed attempt to take Archeon, that they wouldn't dare try anything again. How very wrong they were.

After they had all migrated to the other side of the hanger, I tugged on Shade's jacket, pulling him after me and toward the shipping containers that had just come in on the barges from Harbor Bay recently. I ducked behind the first one, and Shade followed, slipping the bag off of his shoulders and dropping onto one knee so that he could dig through it. I stood above him, until he tapped my leg with the butt of a pistol. I took it gratefully and then crouched down like him and observed the catwalks above our heads. The guards had paused on the other side and were chatting idly, while their partners took the stairs down to check the floor. I nudged Shade and whispered, "Two coming, should be coming from the right."

He nodded, and handed me a belt with a grappling rope attached. We had done our research this time before going into this mission, since he and I weren't too keen to climb up a lift shaft again. This time, we would have to go down though, since the majority of the compound was buried underground and into the cliff face. After talking it over before leaving the compound, we had decided against pretending to be guards, and had decided to grapple down one of the shafts. The only problem with that was knowing when the shaft was clear. If a lift came up at the time we were going down, we would be completely exposed, and would eventually just become splattered body parts on the shaft walls.

I took the belt from him, and striped off my heavy jacket before yanking my snow pants off as well to reveal the tight combat outfit I had on underneath. Shade did the same next to me, and against my better judgement, I glanced at him as he removed the extra shirt he had worn under his jacket. He pulled the clothing off in one fluid movement, and shoved it into a crevice with mine. After that, he snapped his belt on, and then stepped up to take my place as a point man while I put my own belt on and pulled my hair into a tight braid. I watched the back of his head for a few seconds, wondering if he would turn and glance at me like I had. He never did though, and I swallowed the burning desire in the pit of my stomach that had reached up into my throat. Even though I tried to ignore that burning feeling, it still bubbled up as I took my scarf and tied it on to hide my features behind a curtain of red.

As soon as I was ready, I nudged him again, and he nodded as he grabbed the bag and tossed it back on. We started to make our way toward the lifts after that, picking our way behind storage containers while trying to remain out of sight. The guards didn't seem interested with anything but the conversation they were having, which made it easier to move from space to space. Ahead of me, Shade had paused and was waiting for a group of guards to pass. I paused right behind him, and he grabbed my hand in his own in case he had to jump suddenly. I squeezed his fingers gently, letting him know that I was ready at any second.

His hand felt warm in mine, and I couldn't stop myself from running my thumb along the inside of his hand to feel the callused skin there. It had come from years of hard labor, and it felt like dried riding leather to me as I tried to caress it without being noticed. The grooves of his palm were hard against my own, and suddenly I wanted to touch every inch of his hand to see if it was the same texture. Before I could though, he slipped his hand out of mine. My skin crawled as I realized that he had probably felt me running my finger along his skin. But he had only pulled his hand away to take the pistol out of his leg hollister and say, "Stay here for a few seconds, I'm going to check out the lifts and see what we have ahead of us."

As he went to teleport though, I grabbed his arm, causing him to turn and look at me curiously. Before he could protest, I yanked him farther back as an entourage stopped right next to the shipping container we were hiding behind. At the point of the group was an older general, and the devil himself, wearing the Merandus house colors with the insignia of a high ranking member of the court decorating the front. Samson stood with his shoulders back, and a snake like glint in his eyes as he looked down at the general next to him, who was trying his best not to squirm under the Whisperer's gaze.

"The Crown will not be pleased to hear about this set back," Samson said with a smile as he clasped his hands behind his back. The general shifting his weight for a second, as if he were chewing on his next words before he said them. Eventually he turned back to the lift and said, "I understand Sir, but to ask us to move such a large quantity of the serum on such short notice is impossible."

"Impossible is such a bad word to use General Macanthos, the word itself has the word 'I'm possible' in it." Samson said with a disappointed look that would have sent most of the Silver Court running with their tail between their legs. Even though he wasn't giving the look in my direction it still made my skin crawl and my stomach turn like I had swallowed something sour. It was terrifying to think that he had that effect on people, especially with Maven in such an emotionally and mentally compromised condition. There was no telling if he was manipulating Maven into doing things, or if he was playing the card deck just waiting for his turn to draw an ace. It wouldn't have surprised me if that were the case either. Samson was a manipulative as he was handsome, and he knew how to work a room with a few carefully placed words, or maybe even thoughts.

Shade glanced at me over his shoulder and with shadows dancing on his face, he asked softly, "What is the serum they're talking about?"

"I have no idea," I breathed in reply. It wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. It had been mentioned in court once or twice while I had been Queen, but anyone who mentioned it was usually removed quickly. Any investigation into the matter usually turned up the fact that there were sufficient funds going into a project that was highly classified, with anything beyond that being impossible to find. Maven had never spoken of it either, but sometimes he had had papers in his office that had come in from Delphie that mentioned a testing of a serum.

Frowning at my response, Shade leaned forward slightly to look out and see if there was anyone waiting to get in the lifts after the group in front to us. As soon as he stuck his head out though, Samson cleared his throat, and I yanked Shade back by the collar of his shirt in panic. We collapsed in a heap, since I was off balance, and I scrambled underneath him as I tried to right myself in case we needed to run. In front of us though, Samson announced in a annoyingly superior tone, "May I ask why the lift is taking so long?"

Shade sat up in that moment, and rolling off of me, he asked if I was okay. I pushed him away though, and then crawled forward to listen to what the general had to say. Macanthos shifted again, and then replied in a tone feigning a casual air, "This lift has to be manually operated by magnetrons at the bottom, Sir. We've been experiencing power deficiencies with the storms."

Samson huffed, and then motioned for one of his men to step forward. As he did, I caught a glimpse of the man's face as he turned to listen to what Samson had to say. I flipped around and bit my knuckle to keep from throwing up after that. Ptolemus was here, my _brother_ was here. I should have known that though, he had always been a member of the Elite guard, his friendship with Cal buying him that position at a young age. What would he do if he saw me? It had to be the moment of truth, I supposed; to see if his loyalties laid with our family, with his own blood, or with the king who had almost ordered him killed. I wondered if Ptolemus even knew what my marriage to Maven had bought him. I'd ordered his life spared, that he have immunity in everything he did, and Maven had waved his hand and granted it like I had only asked for a glass of water. I hadn't been able to believe my luck. I'd bought Ptolemus' children and the rest of my family that immunity as well, but apparently I hadn't been smart enough to grant myself that same blessing.

Shade grabbed my shoulder in fear, and then looked forward and saw my brother turn and start down the hallway in the direction that the party had come. He wore the sword that Maven had granted him from among Cal's belongings, with his hand gripping the top of the hilt tightly like it was the only thing keeping him from lashing out with the thing. I used to see him sitting outside on a bench in the garden cleaning the sword in the early hours of the morning, while he watched the sun rise. He'd appeared to clean it like he was going to give it back, as if he would see Cal again someday and hold out while dropping to a knee like he would have at his friend's coronation. I wondered if he still believed in that future, or if it had blown away like smoke on the wind like all of my dreams.

"It doesn't change anything Blondie, we can still go through with the mission." Shade whispered into my thoughts, and I looked forward to meet his eye. He had cupped my face softly and was giving me a pitying glance. He understood at least what seeing Ptolemus meant for me. I was once more struck by how different my people were from his. If I had hesitated under Ptolemus or any other Silver General, I would have been shunned and sent back. Shade knew what it meant though, what blood meant, and how hard it was to look your sibling in the eye knowing you would have to fight and possibly kill them.

I shook myself out of my reprieve and then pulling my face out of his comforting touch, I whispered, "I know, let's just get this over with."

The group had left a few seconds ago, and Shade slipped out of the shadows ahead of me only to dropping into a crouch in the doorway of the lift. He drew his pistol while I went to work on the door, opening it piece by piece so that no one would notice our presence. The pieces slid to the side like a complex puzzle, and when I had created a gap big enough for both of us, I nudged Shade and stepped inside. He followed me, and once both of us were on the inside of the ledge, he handed me a glow stick that I broke and tucked in between my teeth. It cast an eerie green glow over everything, and using that light, I fashioned hooks for us to attach our grapples to out of two metal tubes sticking out of the wall above our heads.

I tied mine off first, and Shade followed suit before sticking his glow stick into the breast pocket of his jacket. I tucked mine into my back pocket, and then glanced down the shift. Below us, I could feel the lift dropping like a weight in my stomach. The magnetrons were taking their time to bring it down as gently as possible, which would give us plenty of time to catch up to it, and remain a safe distance away. I glanced at Shade, who looked like a comical ghost in the light of his glow stick, one last time before closing the gap I had created in the doors, shutting us in darkness. As soon as the light had vanished I heard him push off and start repelling down the shaft. I followed suit, praying that the magnetrons at the bottom didn't send the lift back up while we were still on top.

(/)

We had reached the bottom of the lift with minimal problems, and after waiting for a few tense seconds, we had dropped into the lift, surprising the two magnetrons inside that were working it. We had knocked them out easily, and disposed of them in the corner. After that it had been a few easy steps outside onto the platform, and at that point we ran into our first problem.

Our source on the inside had told us that reaching the medical capsule would be no problem, as long as we got identification, and Shade had assured me that he could try and teleport us inside if that didn't work. What we hadn't accounted for was the massive chasm that stood between us and the glass tube that housed all the medical supplies and vaccines.

Shade whistled as he saw it, and dragged his fingers through his sweaty hair. I almost turned around and left, but as I went to leave, I looked up and saw a single magnetron walking across on a bridge that he was fashioning out of metal plates that folded out. My eyes widened as I recognized Ptolemus, and also our only way across. Shade saw it at the same time as me, and then with an irritated twist of his lips he inquired, "Is it too much to ask if you can do that too?"

"Of course I can do that," I snipped in reply, "Do you think I'm twelve?"

Shade shrugged, at my reply, but before he could reply, I creeped toward the edge of the platform to watch Ptolemus land on the other side and stroll toward the glass center. A door opened for him and he stepped inside. Farther inside, I could see Samson standing and looking out the opposite way while he listened to what the General and Director of the center had to say.

With a huff, I looked down at the endless chasm below my feet and then reached out and summoned the metal. It creaked under my feet for a moment, but then bent under my coercion, and folded out into another plate. Shade whistled again behind me and breathed, "Neat party trick."

Grinning back at him, I started out, creating each piece ahead of me as I stepped. Shade followed behind me quickly, since I was breaking the plates behind us as I moved forward one step at a time. The chasm yawned beneath us, and I forced myself to look forward instead of down, trusting my ability to not fail as we went across. It was slower going than Ptolemus, but I couldn't leave Shade behind. He followed dutifully though, offering me encouragement every so often, which brought a smile of pleasure to my face.

We arrived at the other platform unscathed, and Shade leaped for the door. He took the key card we had taken off one of the magnetrons in the lift, and swiped it. The door hissed open, and he stepped inside while I remained outside. He watched me with a cautious expression, but I pulled my scarf down and gave him an encouraging smile, before stepping into crevice near the door. With a nod of understanding, he walked inside, letting the door hiss shut behind him. I watched him from the outside as he opened his bag and walked along the aisles. Near the back, he paused, and then started dumping bottles into his bag. My heart soared, and I pulled my scarf up to hide my smile as he practically danced along the shelf grabbing as much as his bag could carry. We wouldn't be going back empty handed then.

As soon as I thought that we were in the clear though, there was a heavy thud near my hiding place. I straightened up in surprise and drew my pistol off my belt. It was a flimsy thing at best, but it was something to defend myself with against multiple attackers. The heavy steps stopped after a few seconds, and I forced my adrenaline racing heart to slow as I turned the safety on my gun off.

After a few second of tense silence, the person standing on the other side of the wall from me said, "It appears we have some trespassers."

My stomach dropped as I recognized Ptolemus' bored drawl, and my finger shook on the trigger of my weapon as I lifted it up towards my chest. I knew how tall he was by heart, and I knew exactly where to place the gun so that when he came around the corner it would be directly over his heart. Could I do it though, could I pull the trigger and kill my only brother in cold blood?

"Don't play games with me Evangeline, we're told old to play games." He growled, and even though he tried to be quiet about it, I still heard him draw his sword. Swallowing past the knife in my throat, I croaked, "You know how much I like games, Ptolemus."

He was silent for a few seconds and then with a sneer that I could hear in his words he hissed, "And you know how much I hate to lose."

He spun around the corner in that moment, taking me completely off guard. I swung the pistol around to try and fire, but he knocked it from my hand with the blade of his sword, sending it spiraling into the abyss. I backed away from him then, unsure of how to proceed. He glanced inside at Shade though, who had taken notice of what was happening outside and was making his way toward us. Ptolemus laughed at him, and then drove the hilt of his sword into the mechanism that locked the door. It exploded in a shower of sparks, and Shade tried in vain to swipe the card and open the door. With a triumphant grin, Ptolemus watched as he tried to teleport out too, also in vain.

With a wicked grin, Ptolemus met my eye and knocked on the glass. "Reinforced diamond glass, with an infusion of Silencer Stone, just enough to knock the juice out of you while you're inside."

I backed up in panic, realizing that in a few seconds I would be completely outnumbered. Ptolemus turned to face me then, and pointing the tip of his sword at me, he shouted, "Do you have any idea what you've done? How devastated our parents were? What kind of position you put me in?"

I swallowed my retort, he was too buried in the lies for me to try and dig him out. I could only watch as my brother looked at me like I was a stranger. In that moment though, I didn't seen a vicious killer, I saw a little boy dressed in a suit that looked a little too small on his too broad shoulders, smiling and showing me a trick that he had learned that day.

"I won't fight you Ptolemus," I whispered as I took another step away from him and held out my hands to show him that I had no other weapons on me. I felt my knife burning a hole in the back of my shirt though. I'd taken to wearing it on my lower back where no one could find it. If I reached for it now though, Ptolemus would leap and I would have no choice but to fight him.

He looked disgusted at my comment though, and for a moment, I thought he would lash out at me for my comment alone. Instead, his sneer fell, and he lowered his sword for a second, his eyes glazed with what looked like tears as he choked, "Then you're not my sister. She would never be so weak."

I felt like he had shoved a knife into my already bleeding heart. He had no right to accuse me of being weak. He had no idea how hard it was to pretend like I didn't miss my family, didn't miss my status, didn't miss everything about my previous life. It was just that though, a previous life, and I was living a new one now. I felt a hundred times stronger than I had been before, but he could never understand that. He didn't know what it was like to sleep on nothing but a semi-thick mat for months, he didn't know what it felt like to have bruises from training that couldn't be healed immediately, and he especially didn't know what it felt like to want someone so desperately that it made your bones ache.

I was completely distracted by my thoughts, so when Ptolemus leaped at me, I almost missed my window to get out of the way. He brought his sword down with so much force that I felt the wind from it as I somersaulted out of the way. He hissed in fury, and then swinging the sword back to try and cut me from behind, he howled in fury. I came out of my tumble and into a crouch, which allowed me to watch as his blade passed over my head, almost cutting the tips of my hairs off. In that moment, I saw the openings that Shade had pointed out to me in my own fighting style. Ptolemus had sacrificed his balanced position for power in his swing, and that had left him completely exposed at the back. Seeing this, I swept my leg in a side kick to the back of his knees. He cried out at they buckled under the force of my kick, and he collapsed forward onto his hands and knees. As I leaped up to try and pin him down, he rolled over andbrandished the sword wildly, forcing me back a few steps to avoid the blade.

He rolled to his feet, and bringing the sword up again, he panted and growled, "I won't fight an unarmed man."

Even though he was my brother, and I had tried to tell myself that I could talk him out of fighting me, I would not accept being belittled or underestimated. I set my jaw tightly, and then yanking my scarf down, I glared at him and said, "Don't underestimate me Ptolemus, you should know better than that."

He only laughed and swung the sword again, and I pushed back, arching my back to turn the movement into a back handspring. Although my brother had the element of strength in this fight, I was smaller and more agile. I could defend longer than him, and when he tired himself out, I could counter.

I landed in another crouch a few steps away from him, and when I looked over his shoulder, I saw Shade moving things in front of the glass. The rest of Shadow Legion appeared behind Ptolemus though, and started to advance on us. Ptolemus barked at them to stay back, and then glaring at me, he shouted, "She's mine."

He turned back to sneer at me, and I reached under my shirt and pulled my knife out of its holster. The blade gleamed in the bright light, and I spun the hilt into a backhand grip before forcing the metal to elongate. It morphed into a staff that I had become accustomed to fighting with, and I stood up to show him that I had a weapon of my own now. He pursed his lips when he saw my choice, and then growled, "Look how weak they've made you, it's almost pathetic."

"You've been too busy sleeping with Helene, and not practicing, it shows." I fired back, mostly to soothe my ego. My comment ignited the exact reaction I had anticipated though, and with a roar, he leaped at me. I spun out of the way as he thundered by me, and then brought my staff around to crack him across the back. He howled and then spun around to face me again. His blade clanged against my staff, and with a grunt he pushed me back. I set my feet though, refusing to be moved. He was stronger though, and as much as I hated to admit it, he had always been stronger. First born, eldest son, he had sometimes rivaled Cal in hand to hand combat training, but he was a brute and all he had was brute force. At the moment that was giving him the victory though. I could feel my many missed meals in my muscles as I struggled to hold him off. My arms shook violently, and my legs didn't fare any better, and as he pushed harder, my back arched uncomfortably as I tried to keep from giving ground.

He stood over me then, his eyes like steel as he whispered, "It's over Evangeline, surrender."

I growled, and tried to push back, my arms straining to push against his weight. I couldn't surrender, not now, not after I had come so far and set myself on this path. I couldn't leave Shade to a fate worse than death, not if it was at the hands of Ptolemus.

Just as my grip started to slip on the staff, the glass behind Ptolemus exploded out, and the ground shook, forcing him back. I stumbled and fell, covering my head as glass from the floors above us rained down. The legion members cried out and screamed in agony as shards of glass ripped at their uniforms and tore at their skin. The platform rattled underneath me, and my teeth rattled in my skull as I tried to look up and locate my brother. He was a few steps away, trying to remain on his feet. Above our heads, a claxon of alarms exploded, and I felt the heat of fires as the damaged equipment also exploded.

After the shaking stopped, I stumbled to my feet, the world spinning around me as I tried to get my bearings. I gripped my staff tightly and tried to see through the haze of dark smoke that was pooling out of the room next to me. At the back of my mind, I was trying to figure out what had set off the explosion in the first place, but my attention was completely absorbed with finding Ptolemus. My skin crawled as I tried to find him, and he remained elusive. He must have been as shaken as me, and trying to recover.

The smoke parted in front of me, and I swung my staff to catch Ptolemus across the temple, but he caught the end. He smiled at me and then using the momentum from my swing, he threw me out over the abyss.

I tumbled through open air for a moment, cursing myself excessively for thinking that move would work. As I fell though, I heard someone scream my name in panic, jarring me to reality again. I turned over to face downward, and reached out for the metal around me, begging it to come to my aid. And like the trusted friend it was, it didn't disappoint. The plates ripped off of the platforms on both sides and slammed together to form a makeshift platform below me.

I slammed into it at full force, even though I tried to tuck and roll to absorb most of the impact. Rolling along the platform, I tried to stop myself, but I ended up almost rolling off the edge. I caught it with my fingertips and watched as my staff fell past me and toward the depths. As I looked down through the wild hairs that had escaped my braid, I saw it plop into the massive pool of water that was at the bottom. I exhaled softly in relief, and then started to pull myself up. With a heave, I pulled my body up onto the platform and collapsed in a heap, laughing in relief for my quick thinking. I'd never thought I'd be so thankful for the training exercises that Arven had put us through.

My relief was short lived though. Ptolemus leaped off of the platform thirty feet above me, and using metal plates as a ramp, he slid down to me and leaped onto my platform. I struggled to get up, but he drove his foot into my side, successfully knocking all the air out of my body and rolling my onto my back. As I tried to inhale around my spasming diaphragm, he stepped on my stomach and putting all his weight on that foot he growled, "I can't let you get away Eve, he'll take everything from me then."

"He already has Ptolemus, he has you like a dog on a leash." I choked, as I clawed at his shin. But the padding he had there was littered with tiny shards of glass, and they ripped at my fingers, drawing blood that soaked into his pant leg. Seeing my struggle he pushed down harder, which caused me to throw my head back to try and get even a whisper of air. My eyes sought his, and with regret, I saw that he had streaks of tears running down his face as he shouted, "You don't understand, you don't know what he does to the dissenters! He has your family killed while you watch, and then leaves you to Samson, to rip your mind apart piece by piece!"

I tried to struggle against him one last time, as black spots started to appear on the edge of my vision. I closed my eyes against the dizzy, world spinning feeling I had, and choked around my constricted ribs, "Ptolemus… please…"

"You were my baby sister! I was supposed to protect you, not kill you! You gave me no choice!" He cried as he lifted his sword up above his head with shaking hands to bring it down in a blow that would surely decapitate me. I squirmed underneath him, my eyes filling with tears as I realized that he wasn't going to hesitate. My brother's love only went so far, and for some reason that pained my very soul. I had always thought that no matter what, he would stand by me, that he would always be there for me. He'd told me exactly that after a training session during which I'd failed miserably. He'd found me crying in the back of my closet, and had pulled me close and told me to never let them see me cry, that everything would be okay. If someone had told me back on that day that this was what the future held, I would have laughed in their face. Sitting here now though, waiting for the end, I couldn't help but think about all the times that I had been able to rely on Ptolemus.

The killing blow never came though. Instead, Ptolemus grunted as he was hit by a projectile from the side. I inhaled sharply as I was freed, but when I rolled over to see what had happened, I was halted by a sharp pain in my side. I grabbed at it, and gasped in pain as I realized that some of my ribs might have been broken either in my fall, or under Ptolemus' weight. As I craned my neck up though, I saw Shade backing away from Ptolemus slowly, with a knife in his hand that he was gripping completely wrong. Ptolemus seemed to realize this too, because he spun his sword at his side for a second with a wicked grin on his face. He would lash out any second, and Shade would not know how to defend against a sword, unless he just kept teleporting. He would get tired eventually though, and we needed him to save his strength for one more jump out of the compound.

I tried to push myself up again, because without a doubt, Ptolemus would finish what we had started a year ago and I refused to let that happen. Shade had saved my life, and he had given me something even greater after that, it was time to return the favor. Gritting my teeth against the fire that seared down my side, I pushed myself to my feet. Shade had taken a step back, and Ptolemus was circling him like a vulture, his eyes looking Shade up and down to try and decipher a weakness. He wouldn't find many, but the one's that he did find were the one's that I knew about. Shade favored his right side in attacking, and he would lash out with quick blows that were hard to counter, but easy to slip around. He had been trained to fight dirty, but sometimes, the rules were what allowed someone to win. Shade would not have any answer to Ptolemus' strength or size, and the fight would be entirely one sided.

As I stumbled toward them, Ptolemus swung, taking an opportunity. Shade tried to drop step and avoid the blade, but the tip of it cut into his thigh. Crying out in agony, Shade dropped the knife and fell to one knee, while his hands scrambled to stop the blood from flowing out of his wound. Ptolemus stood above him then, the sword raised and ready to descend upon Shade's neck.

Shade would not be defeated so easily though. He picked up the knife in his blood stained hand and pushing off of one leg, drove it into Ptolemus' leg, twisting the hilt and possibly ripping muscle. Ptolemus howled in agony and kicked out with his good leg, catching Shade across the side of the head. The force of the blow was so strong that I saw Shade's neck snap back, and his back arch as he tried to duck away from the blow. His body rolled with the momentum though, and he tumbled toward the edge of the platform. I struggled toward him, and then falling on top of him, I tried to shove him up, crying, "Shade, we have to jump Shade. Shade jump us!"  
He tried to stumble up, but his leg gave out under him, and I looked over my shoulder in terror to see Ptolemus struggling as well, leaning on his sword as he pulled the knife out of his leg. It was stained red and silver, and for a moment, I remembered a nightmare from long ago, of red and silver blood dripping into a pool and creating a flood. Shade grabbed my arm for support and whispered, "I can't… I can't jump."

My hands shook then, as I heard Ptolemus roar and yank the knife out completely. He crushed the blade in his hand, and then turned his furious eyes on me. No doubt his vision was tunneled and all he would see was me on top of Shade, protecting him it seemed. I panicked in that moment, and then glancing over the edge at the drop below us, and the water there as well, I made up my mind. I pulled Shade toward the edge and then holding him up as best as I could, I whispered, "Let me do the work, just hold your breath."

My side protested at his weight, but I pushed through the pain, setting my jaw tightly against it. There would be time later to get medical attention, but if I didn't get us out now, then there would be no need for that attention, because we would both be either dead or in chains.

Ptolemus seemed to sense my thoughts, because he let out a strangled cry and began to try and sprint toward us. I took a few decisive steps though, and without looking back, I threw myself over the edge. Ptolemus screamed in fury and pain as he reached out to try and grab the back of my shirt, but I felt the fabric slip through his fingers. I clutched at Shade as we fell, and I felt his arms wrap around my middle as we plummeted headfirst toward the water.

I hit the water first, and the freezing cold liquid washed over me and swallowed me whole. It stole the little bit of air I had been able to squeeze in around my burning lungs, and I watched it escape in silvery bubbles. Shade floated down next to me, the impact having thrown us apart. I reached out for him, and closed my fist around his shirt, and pulled him close to me. His leg wound left a trail of dark blood in the water behind him, and I felt his dead weight as I pulled him toward what was hopefully the side. My precious air supply was running out though, and Shade wasn't helping me at all. I could not surface for air though, if I did I would give away our exact location. At least like this, they would have to at least search for us, which could give me a few more seconds to find an escape route.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt a sharp tug from the current, and I looked to the side in the direction it was taking me. There was a massive dark hole that almost all the water was being sucked into. Before I could really assess the idea, the current took complete hold of me. I struggled for a few seconds, unsure of where the piping system would deposit us, but it was too late. The current had us, and Shade's dead weight took us along for the ride as well.

The last thing I saw before I fell unconscious from the pain in my side, was the darkness swallowing us as we entered the tunnel.

 _(/_ _ **Medical Laboratory: Archeon**_ _/)_

Ptolemus watched from the main platforms as nymphs searched the waters below him for his sister and her accomplice. He shouldn't have let them escape, but as he'd stood over his sister with his sword raised, he'd been searching desperately for something to make him hesitate. The Red that had attacked him had been the perfect opportunity. He'd thought that Evangeline would just run though, and not try and help the man escape. That had been one of his misinterpretations, the other had been that Evangeline would come quietly. He should have known better.

Behind him, Samson cleared his throat, and Ptolemus glanced at him with what he hoped was a stoic expression of calm. The older man tilted his head to the side and with a tight smile he said, "Anything to report Lord Samos?"

"Nothing at the moment Sir, if the nymphs find anything, you'll be the first to know."

"I should hope that I would be the first to know," growled a much younger voice, that preceded Maven as he appeared from the lift. Ptolemus set his jaw tightly, and tried not to grimace as he bowed deeply next to Samson who only had to bow his head. When he stood up again, Ptolemus swallowed his pride and said, "I apologize Your Highness, we were under the impression that you were still touring in Delphie."

Maven huffed, and then brushing an invisible speck of dust off of his coat, he snapped, "you should expect Your King at all times, and at the moment, I want a status report."

Samson stepped in front of Ptolemus immediately, successfully cutting into the conversation, and making a very obvious statement. "Of course Your Highness, at the moment we are trying to apprehend Evangeline Samos, and Shade Barrow, who broke into the compound and stole some of the medication we had developed specifically for the recent outbreak."

"How much did they take?" Maven growled as he ground his teeth. If Evangeline had taken some of the medicine, that wasn't a problem, it was a problem if they left Archeon with it. He needed Evangeline for information, and knowing her, she would tell him everything he wanted to know as long as it kept her alive. Not to mention the fact that having Shade Barrow would be an added bonus. Mare would come running like a moth to light if she knew that he had her beloved brother. He'd send her a message like he had planned to do if he captured Cal or Mare herself. He'd initiate a little torture, just enough to make them beg for mercy, and then he'd record it and send it out to the Guard. Mare would come within days, and Cal would be right behind her. He'd have both of them then, finally, and he'd get rid of his brother and have Mare. She'd do anything for him too, as long as Cal's head was on the chopping block, along with everyone she knew.

"They didn't take any of the serum though, Your Highness." Ptolemus announced from behind Samson, as he tried to step back in front and take control of the situation. Maven only sneered though, and spit, "I couldn't care less about the damn serum, I care about Shade Barrow, and Evangeline Samos. I want the two of them in chains, in my throne room, at my feet by midnight tonight, or I will take my frustration out on someone else."

With that, he turned on his heel, and left with his cape snapping behind him. Ptolemus felt his spine stiffen in terror, Maven was a man of his word, he would take his frustration out on someone else, most like Ptolemus or his wife Helene. That was unacceptable though, which meant he had twelve hours to find his sister and Shade, or he would feel the wrath of the king with more blood on his hands than his ancestors combined. Maven did not know mercy, and he would not learn what it was in twelve hours. That left very little time.

As he was about to turn around and bark orders at the nymphs to start searching the pipes, Samson grabbed his shoulder and whispered, "Remember our deal Ptolemus, get whomever isn't looking for Evangeline to move the serum into the trucks, and I will personally make sure that you and your wife escape this fiasco unscathed."

Ptolemus hung his head, and then with gritting teeth, he glared at the man over his shoulder and replied, "Yes, Sir."

Although he was reluctant to speak the title, Samson was his superior, and he had promised him his allegiance as long as Samson kept him safe. So far he had done so, but anyone could betray anyone, and Samson was known for his two faced actions. If only the king could see how he was being used, but deep down, Ptolemus knew he was no different. For that reason, he kept Samson at arms length, only doing as he was told, and following the rules. He'd didn't give Samson a reason to turn him in, or go back on their agreement. Ptolemus knew that he was small fry compared to some of Samson's other enemies and partners. He was a pawn, and for that reason, he kept his mouth shut.

But Ptolemus prided himself on the fact that he knew a winning horse when he saw it, and Maven was not the winning horse anymore. As much as Cal was like a brother to him too, he was not the horse to put all his money on, so he would bet high stakes on Samson, and he would sit back and wait for the pay out. For now, he would pull people off of his sister's tail, and he would let them escape. For some reason, that made him less guilty than betraying his supposed King.

 **A/N**

 _Hello everyone, I'm so sorry that this has taken forever. This chapter is literally over 16000 words though, and I had a lot of trouble chipping away at this. This has been a really hard transition for me from high school to college, and now that I'm a college athlete, it's even harder. Please understand that I'm going to be trying as hard as I can to finish this story. I'm so excited that so many people are really excited about this story, and I hope you all stick around. The updates may be a little slow, but please stay with me. Your reviews and comments really keep my going. I love you all so much, and I'll see you in the next chapter which will either be this long or a little shorter._

 _ **QUESTION TIME!**_

 _What did you think of Shade and Evangeline's mission and what happened? (Sorry if it flet short and rushed, I had to crank it out)_


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 _(/_ _ **Evangeline/)**_

I woke on a hard rock, my body having been thrown across it after Shade and I had been spit out of the pipes. I coughed up water, and winced at the sharp stab of pain down my side. I closed my eyes for a second then, and rested my head on my forearm. My body felt like it had been thrown into a violent spinning wheel, and I felt weak and dizzy. I couldn't remember anything from the trip through the tunnels, and I couldn't even begin to guess where I was. Somehow none of that mattered though, I was alive and breathing, and that was all I focused on for a few minutes.

Slowly, I raised my head up again, and looked up to see a faint light, along with the river of water that was flowing in a channel in that direction. I breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly, let my feet fall to the slimy ground beneath me. Everything ached though, and it took me a few seconds to wade away from my rock and toward one of the sides. As soon as I pulled myself out of the icy water, I crawled toward the wall, and hugged my knees up to my chest. My whole body shook with chills, and each breath was agony as I tried to warm myself up.

I closed my eyes again, and slowly, I began to sink down toward the ground, my body weak with cold and my mind numb to everything going on around me. Ptolemus could find me now and I wouldn't care, I would submit to anything, as long as I was taken out of these sopping wet clothes, and put somewhere warmer. As I began to fall unconscious again though, my mind screamed in panic, my training immediately kicking in. My body was going into shock because of the cold, I was dying of hypothermia right in front of my exit. I needed to get warm, I had to keep moving, I had to stay awake at all costs.

With a groan, I pushed myself up, and used the wall to pull myself to my feet. My hands cut along the stone, but I felt nothing as I finally managed to stand. I wrapped my arms tightly around my body after that, and glanced around. On the other side of the channel, face down in a puddle of water, was Shade. I stared at him for a second, wondering why he wasn't getting up, surely he had heard me struggling a second ago?  
"Shade?" I croaked, and when he didn't move, I stumbled a few steps, and fell into the water again. I scrambled to right myself, and then swam toward him. His face was turned away from me, and his bag was a closed in his fist, as if it could save him. He looked deathly still, and my heart raced at an unhealthy pace as I struggled through the water toward him, choking his name under my breath as I tried to keep from crying. The tears that leaked by were warmer than the water around me though.

Pulling myself out of the channel, I crawled toward him desperately and shook him violently. My vision was blurry with tears, and I screamed his name in terror when he didn't move immediately. He couldn't be dead now, not after we got this far and had escaped the inescapable. I slowly rolled him onto his back, and continued shaking, but each movement became a little weaker, until I stopped all together. My head spun for a second, and I slowly collapsed until my head was resting on his chest. He felt just as cold as me, but I lifted my head when I felt a little fluttering heartbeat under my ear.

"Shade?" I whispered again, as I shook his shoulder one more time. His eyes fluttered open, and he rolled onto his side and coughed up water. I held his shoulder in a vice like grip as he vomited up stomach bile.

Eventually, he calmed down enough to roll onto his back once more, and with a grimace, he reached down for the wound in his leg and whispered, "Ow."

I was crouched down over his leg, looking at the cut, with the limited light though, my ability to see the extension of the wound was also limited. My shivers were making it worse too, my hands were shaking so much that I had difficulty holding his leg still. He gasped in agony as I ran my fingers along the cut, and one of my nails accidentally slipped into the wound. I whispered an apology, and tried to apply pressure to the wound anyway. Shade hissed in pain, and then growled through clenched teeth, "Go easy down there Blondie, it's a little tender."

"Oh suck it up." I grumbled through chattering teeth. He laughed softly, and then glancing at me, his eyes widened and he said through chattering teeth, "Your… your lips are black."

"That's what happens when I get cold." I snipped, but as I looked up, I saw that his lips were a pale blue, and steadily getting darker. The two of us were slowly freezing to death in our wet clothes, and there was nothing we could do about it. I glanced back down at his leg, and shaking my head around the blurry vision, I asked, "Can you jump… at all?"

"Honestly, does it look like I could jump right now?" He gritted his teeth again, and closed his eyes tightly. I noticed that he had stopped shivering in that moment, and my panic escalated. He was in worse shape than me, with his cut leg that was still losing blood, and his body steadily falling to the effects of the cold faster than mine. His eyes fluttered open again, and with a frown he looked at me and asked stupidly, "Have you always had such blonde hair? I mean I knew it was blonde, but now it's like really blonde, is it the black lips, or the eyes? Care to clarify?"

My stomach turned at the fact that he was obviously in a worse state than I originally thought. I grabbed his hand then, and tried to yank him up, but he only went limp and mumbled something incoherently. Grunting against his extra weight, I pulled him up, and tried to support him. My side screamed in protest and I stumbled on unsteady feet as my vision wavered and the world did a sickening spin.

"Barrow, we need to leave, we have to get back to the airship." I hissed as I tried to situate him so that his arm was around my shoulders and I was holding him up. He chuckled and whispered, "You're always so serious, you know that Blondie? You need to relax a little."

"Will you just help me you idiot?" I screamed at him as I almost fell over under his weight. My voice echoed around the massive caravan, and I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone had heard. The only thing I could hear though was what sounded like the distant roar of waves, and the rush of water as it continued to flow out of the pipe that must have spit us out. The nymphs would not be far behind us now, and we could not be here when they found us.

Shade shifted his feet underneath himself, and then mumbled, "Fine, we'll do it your way then."

He leaned forward to grab the bag again, and almost fell. I caught him, even though I almost went down with him, and grunted against his weight. He apologized in a slurred voice, and then slung the bag over his shoulder. As soon as he had done that, he took a shaky step forward toward the light, and I did as well. The two of us like drunks making our way home in the early hours of the dawn. My arm was wrapped tightly around his waist, and his arm was draped across my shoulders, although he had taken to almost pulling my up by the back of my shirt when I began to collapse. Our trip was a zig zag across the uneven ground that steadily became more rocky and difficult to maneuver. Through the entire thing, Shade struggled to remain coherent, and his eyes dropped closed every few steps, even though his feet continued to move. I whispered encouragement under my breath though, and he repaid the favor when I tripped over my own two feet or over one of the cracks in the ground. I could feel his ice cold body pressed against mine, but as we walked, I began to get a little warmer. Maybe I was just so numb though, that I couldn't tell if I was warm or cold anymore.

We reached the cave opening, and I shielded my eyes from the bright sun overhead. It was as freezing outside as it was inside, but the sun felt good on my wet clothes. Below our feet, waves crashed against the cliffs, and the drop below made me feel lightheaded. We couldn't be that far from the palace if the pipes spit us out by the cliffs. That meant we would need to find some form of a roundabout way to the airship. It would be a decent eight mile walk, but with Shade like this, I wasn't sure we would make it. Hot tears rolled down, and I almost sat down in defeat.

Shade's hand squeezed my shoulder though, and pressing his forehead against my temple he breathed, "One step at a time Evangeline, there's someone in town who can help us."

I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth that came when someone noticed my weakness, and shifted him again, which only made my side ache more. His warm breath on my neck, stirred something innate in me though, and I stood a little straighter with him. If he knew the effect he had on me, he didn't show it, but instead, he took a hesitant step toward the path that had been beaten into the rocks from thousands of feet marching down to create the tunnels we had just come from. It would take us to the top, and we would find the person to help us, and we would get back to the airship. As long as he kept going, and kept breathing, then I was going to be able to keep going. His steps were measured, and he led me for the most part, while I just kept him upright. He was slowly getting weaker though, and when I looked up and saw the dark clouds of another winter storm approaching, I shivered. It was about to become a lot colder, and we had no protection against it.

An hour later, after we had wandered what seemed like aimlessly through long dark alleys, we had come to a small rundown shack in the middle of the city. Shade had knocked on the door, and then whistled softly. Above our heads, the clouds gathered ominously, and I watched them with a worried expression. It would not be easy to make it back to the ship in the middle of a storm.

The door had been opened a few seconds later, by a tiny man with a bent back, and weathered face, who looked us over and then opened the door wider and ushered us in. His wife poured hot tea, and brought us dry clothing, that felt almost heavenly compared to my suit that had started pinching and rubbing my skin uncomfortably. The man wrapped Shade's leg while I sat shivering by the fire, with the woman watching me with a terrified expression. I avoided her gaze as best as possible and thanked her for the tea after I had drunk four cups of it. Shade and the man talked in hushed whispers after he was coherent enough to form a full sentence without slurring any of the words. Our savior told him that the King had issued an immediate curfew, and that we could only stay until dark, because the Shadow Legion was going around checking all the house for Scarlet Guard operatives. Their quarter would be checked last, which would give us until the evening to rest and try to prepare for our five mile journey back to the airship. After a few hours under the woman's stares though, I crept toward Shade who had been in and out of sleep.

His eyes opened when the floorboard near him creaked under my foot, and I hesitated when his eyes met mine in the semi-darkness. He gave me a tired smile though and laid his head back down, practically inviting me in. I sank down cross-legged next to him and whispered, "Are you feeling better?"

"A lot actually. It a wonder what tea and a nap can do." He said with a chuckle, and I couldn't help but share a soft laugh with him too. He still looked horrible, a little paler, and a little sick, but that was to be expected. He had been half frozen with me, and it was a miracle that we had made it to this safe haven anyway. I looked down at my hands in my lap, and fiddled with the loose threads of the blanket I had draped around my shoulders. My fingers had most of their pale color back, and the black that had come from the dark undertones of my blood had vanished for the most part. It had terrified the woman when she had seen my hands, and face, practically purple because of the cold, and for a moment I had heard her whisper what sounded like a prayer under her breath. I didn't blame her either, I had probably looked like a demon on her doorstep, with a Red man barely conscious in my arms.

"Thank you by the way," He said offhandedly, and I looked up in confusion. He was smiling at me again, the kind of smile that made my insides squirm and my blood run hot. I felt my face flush in embarrassment at my reaction, and tried to hide it by reaching up and sweeping my hair off my shoulder. "For what? I didn't do anything."

He shrugged slightly, and then reached out from under the blankets to grip my hand tightly. My skin burned at his touch, and I tried not to blush as he replied, "You could have left me in that drain, you could have just taken the bag and left, but you stayed. It takes a lot to save someone when you need saving yourself."

I shifted uncomfortably at his praise and then looking away I said, "You would have done the same."

"Of course." He said sincerely, drawing my eye again. He shifted then, and sat up, his eyes curious as he took me in under the fire light. We were a hairbreadth away from each other, and my stomach flipped as he set his other hand on top of mine, successfully cradling it between his own. We were silent for a second, holding the other's gaze in an intense stare that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Was this what it felt like to… love someone? To be willing to die for them, and do it so easily it was like breathing?

"Why?" I breathed, genuinely surprised at his reply. He smiled then, and leaned closer, his breath almost mixing with my own as he smiled. I inhaled his scent, and almost closed my eyes to take it in. He was the single handedly most beautiful person I had ever met, not just externally though, there was something inside of him that was so good and innately gracious that it spilled out of him and flooded the space around him. He made me feel like a mortal in the presence of an angel, and for a moment, I wondered if he was an angel. It had to be the only explanation for the things he could do and the way he carried himself. He was too morally pure to be anything else.

I could feel the heat rolling off of him as he tilted his head to the side slightly, so that he was meeting my eye as I shied away. His forehead was almost resting on mine, and I could feel his silky hairs as they brushed against the crown of my head. I leaned toward him then, deciding that it didn't matter what I did anymore, I was damned at this point. He had my body and soul, and I might as well seal the deal.

"Because," He began softly as he leaned forward too, only for his eyes to shift to the side and see something else. He pulled away quickly then, and I sat looking like an idiot, expecting a kiss that was never coming. His hands dropped mine, and he cleared his throat and said, "Is something wrong?"

I looked over my shoulder to see who he was talking to, and saw the man watching us with a strange expression. It was a mixture of what looked like disgust and confusion, no doubt thinking some nasty things about Shade. I pulled away from Shade then, worried about ruining his reputation even further in front of these people. They had been gracious enough to let us stay this long, I supposed it would be horrible of us to do something like this in their house. They were Red's after all, and a Red with a Silver was beyond blasphemous, it was complete and utter betrayal. They called people like that blood traitors, and I had heard that whispered a thousand different ways in the compound when Mare had walked by with Cal. They two of them had been frowned upon, although it hadn't been as serious, because Cal had become known as a hero. Shade though, was a prominent figure in the Scarlet Guard, and I was just another Silver traitor who hadn't made a mark yet.

"You should leave, it's dark enough." The man whispered, his voice like steel as he glared at me. Shade sighed at the man's words and their implication, and then pushing the blankets back, he pulled himself to his feet and began to thank the man for taking us in. I sat on the floor though, in a trance. Was it really so bad that I felt things for Shade? It was obviously heavily frowned upon, but there were no laws against it that I knew of. I would just throw everything I had valued away if I acted on my feelings, but hadn't that already happened? I'd been thrown to the wolves, and although they had been cautious of me, they had still given me a pelt and made me one of their own. I had a new code to live by, and I hunted in the light of the moon with my new pack. They were different, but they were all I had.

As I sat in that dingy, dark room, I realized that I had accepted them as my pack a long time ago. My family had disowned me, and the Gaurd had claimed me, the good and the bad. That was what family was though, the people who claimed you, every piece of you regardless of the things you had done in the past.

I stood then, and shrugging the blanket off, I fold it slowly, my movements almost hypnotic or rehearsed. The Scarlet Guard had become my family in a strange way, but they had become my family nonetheless. I straightened my shoulders as a new emotion ran through me, and it could only have been described as pride. They were strong and resilient, and they had taught me to be that way too, in a way that I could never have understood before. I was born anew, a phoenix rising from the ashes. I was Silver, but I had been crafted into a sword in the fires of the Red's passion. I was as silver as the sword that I had once carried on my belt, but I was stronger, and better than before. There was a war coming, and when it arrived over head with fire and lightning, then I would be on the front lines, and I would be the fine blade that the Guard needed. I would be their sword, and one more weapon in their fight to take down the regime that I had once considered fair.

The world was no longer Silver and Red, it was a mix, and it was so much more than that. We could not go back either, we had set ourselves on a path that had no exits. I was ready though, and I would not back down anymore.

(/)

Shade and I arrived back at the airship, battling against the heavy snow and wind that had descended on us as soon as we had stepped outside of the whistle's house. It had been almost impossible to make it back, but I had followed behind Shade who led the way through the heavy snow, leaving footprints for me to step in. I felt like a child following my father through the northern woods on a hunt with Ptolemus again, and as we continued to travel through I was once more taken back to my childhood memories. I had been much younger, and wide eyed still. I'd hoped in my father's steps which left massive imprints in the snow, while he coached Ptolemus up ahead. When he had noticed my childish game, he had barked at me to pay attention. It was that day that I learned that I wasn't just a child, I was a girl born into a family that would be tied to the crown if it was the last thing I did.

Just the thought of my family made my heart ache, and even though I missed them, I forced the feeling down. They would not miss me when Ptolemus arrived with the news about what I had done. They would black my name out of all of their wills, and my name would be scratched out of the family history. My name would still burn like a sun in the history books though. The Guard would win this war, if I had to die trying to help them. If I lived though, I would be standing beside Shade, wearing the scarlet colors proudly, while my name was put in the books next to his, Mare's, and Cal's. We would all go down in history as legends, that would one day be told as bedtime stories.

The airship was exactly where we had left it, and as we stumbled through the knee high snow toward it, I could feel my frozen fingers and toes heating up as I thought about how much warmer it would be inside. Shade managed to get near the ramp after almost tumbling into an unseen snow drift, and after pushing a few buttons, the ramp descended to us. I scurried up the ramp before him, and he followed, shutting it behind us. I yanked my cap off, and shook my hair out, feeling the frost already melting and dripping down my neck and forehead. I ran my fingers through my hair and then glanced around in the semidarkness, which was broken only by a few lamps that had been lit. Shade glanced at the lamps warily, and then whispered, "I told Noel to keep the ship dark."

I shrugged while I carefully brushed off my jacket and went to remove it, and then replied, "She probably got a little lonely waiting for us, and lit some lamps to make herself feel better."

Noel had struck me as the kind of woman to do something like that. She had been so bubbly and friendly the entire flight over, almost bordering on obnoxious. It had been nice to meet someone who still had a little faith though, considering how everything was falling apart around her. She was one of the only pilots we had left, her peers having been tossed over the cliff weeks ago.

I shrugged off my pathetic excuse for a undercoat, and then tossed my wet clothing onto the pile of blankets that had been my bed for a few days. Shade crouched down though to open his bag and check on the countless bottles of medication he had brought. The bottles bumped one another as he jostled the bag slightly, and he smiled down at them almost lovingly. They would be our saving grace, and would help put the Scarlet Guard back on the map. We would be heros when we returned, and the thought of saving the entire Guard and finally earning my stripes among them put a bounce in my step as I made my way to the cockpit. No doubt Noel would be asleep, or daydreaming, but she should had heard me and Shade come in. The ramp was not exactly quiet, and all the ice that had frozen over it had cracked and shattered at it opened. It should have been loud enough to wake the dead. Why she hadn't come out to greet us should have been a warning that something was wrong, but I was high with my victory and the knowledge that I might have finally done something right.

Stepping into the doorway of the cockpit, I looked at the two high backed chairs that were facing away from me. I took no notice though, and called her name softly. There was no immediate response, so frowning, I reached out to turn the nearest chair and said, "Noel, we have the medicine, we need to leave."

"Excellent," said a male voice in the chair as it spun to face me. I stumbled backward in surprise, and then watched as the other chair turned to reveal Noel, sitting with a wicked grin on her face and a gun in her hand. I looked to the man sitting in the shadow, and in response he slowly leaned into the light, and raised the gun in his hand to point it at me.

"I'm so happy to hear you and Barrow were successful, it really warms my heart Silver." Hector said with a grin as he took the safety off his gun. I backed up in horror, and ran into someone else, who grabbed my arms tightly and whispered, "We should stop meeting like this, it's embarrassing for you Silver."

Seth's hands gripped my arms so tightly that I thought the bone would break. I struggled against him, but Hector stood and pressed the barrel of the gun to my forehead. With a smile as cold as the ice outside, he said, "I would stop being such a pain, you wouldn't want my finger to slip on the trigger."

Shade cried out in pain behind me, and my head snapped to try and see around Seth as I cried out to Shade. Hector chuckled, and then nodded for Seth to back up. He dragged me backwards and I heard Shade struggling behind me as well, as he shouted, "You can't do this Hector!"

"Oh but I can," the squirrel of a man said as Seth grabbed my wrists, to allow binders to be slapped on them by another woman with a scar that traveled all the way down her face. I was thrown to the floor, and Shade followed shortly after, his wrists shackled similarly to mine. I felt inexplicably woozy as I tried to sit up, and Hector smiled as he shrugged with the pistol and said, "I feel bad Barrow, really I do, but you made your choice."

Shade struggled against his binders, and set his jaw. His brow furrowed and he seemed to be trying to burn a hole through the middle of Hector's forehead with his eyes. A few seconds later though, he let out a scream of fury and shouted, "What did you do to us?"

"Oh nothing, just put my time and effort into this fascinating thing the Silver's use, it's called Silencer Stone, but did you know Shade, that it can come in a liquid alloy form, that can be put into anything? Literally anything, metal, glass, liquid, you name it, and it can mix with it." Hector said gleefully, as if he were a child receiving the presents he wanted on his birthday. I tugged on my binders in my hazy state of mind and slurred, "It's in the cuffs."

"Very good Evangeline, my, you are getting good at this whole thinking fast business. Next time I won't have to tell you my plan." Hector laughed as he glanced at Seth and said, "Throw them into the back and shackle them together, we'll use them as leverage too. No doubt Diana will want her precious second in command back."

Nodding, Seth grabbed one of us in each hand and dragged us by the collars of our shirts toward the back of the airship. Shade struggled only for Seth to toss him against the metal, then he slammed me up against the metal face first. My cheek protested immediately, and he let me drop to the floor. He took a metal chain that would have normally been used to tie cargo down during a turbulent ride, and steadily wrapped it around me and Shade so that we were sitting back to back. With a grin, he yanked it so tight that I struggled to breathe, and then stepped back to admire his work. Shade struggled against it, but all he did was make it worse for us.

"Enjoy the ride your Highness," Seth said with a malicious grin, as he gave me a mock salute. I sneered up at him, and then gathering all the saliva and blood in my mouth, I spit it at him. It hit his jacket, and he hissed in disgust before backhanding me so hard that my neck almost broke. He wiped his jacket off, and then spit, "I hope he lets us kill you when this is over with, you stupid bitch."

I watched him walk back towards the cockpit then, as the engines came to life around us. Shade continue to struggle, and I wiggled along with him, trying to worm my way out of the chains. Seth had wrapped them tightly though, and had locked them with a reinforced padlock that would need a key. The airship began to roll forward, pushing through heavy snow to take off. As it went, I wondered if I had celebrated my new status in the Guard too soon.

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I sat between Cal and Maggie, running my fingers absentmindedly through his hair, trying to soothe him. The fever dreams had started a few nights ago, and he had struggled to sleep for hours, screaming at either the dead or the living during his night terrors. He would wake in a cold sweat, his eyes wild with terror as he tried to lash out at whoever was there. The medic had called me after a little while of failed attempts to restrain him, and had begged me to try and calm him down at much as possible so that they could try and give him an IV. I'd come in and tried my best, setting his head in my lap and leaning over to whisper to him softly. It had felt like I was holding a sun in my hands, and the heat that radiated off of him was so intense that it made me sweat. I'd stayed though, helping him in and out of his dreams. When I'd gotten up at one point to get a drink of water, he'd woken and had tried to get up, and had called out to me, as if I was leaving permanently. I'd abandoned my search for water, and had rushed back, calming him down, assuring him that I was there, and promising that I was staying. He'd calmed down after that and finally gone back to sleep.

Now he was resting, his body so exhausted that he didn't dream. He still shivered with the fever though, and he was dropping weight like it was water. Maggie was sleeping next to me, her breathing so shallow, it was almost nonexistent. She didn't have long to go now, and every time I sat next to her and heard the medics whispering about her fluid filled lungs, and rapidly deteriorating organs, I had to tune them out or I would cry. Torin had come back clean for the virus two days ago, as had Chelsea, Oscar, and Isabella, but I had told them to stay away because a day ago, I had begun to show signs. My throat had started to feel scratchy, and then I had started to cough. My fever had yet to come, but the medics were on high alert with me, always monitoring my symptoms. They had yet to progress anymore, and I was happy about that, but the longer Evangeline and Shade took to get back, the more worried I became that maybe I would be following Cal and Maggie into the chasm.

Cal shifted in his sleep, mumbling something incoherently that drew my attention. I leaned down and pressing a light kiss to his hairline, I whispered, "It's okay, I'm here."

He sighed softly, and then settled down, his eyelids fluttering softly as he started to fall asleep again. As he did, I heard the sound of shouts from outside the medical tent. I leaned forward to try and see outside of our little alcove, but there was a crowd of people in the way. Seeing that, I slowly went to stand up, only for Cal's hand to snap out from under the blankets and grab at my wrist. I glanced down at him in curiosity, only to see his bloodshot eyes wide open, and worried as he choked, "Stay."

"I'll be right back," I assured softly, as I pulled my wrist from his weakening grip and started toward the crowd. They all backed away when they saw me, and created a little path for me out of the tent. I pushed the flap aside and found almost the entire Guard outside of it, gathered in the area. I pushed my way in from the back, digging my shoulders and elbows into people's sides so that I could walk through without being trampled. The closer I got to the front, the more I heard the shouting. There were two distinct voices rising above the murmurs of worry around me, and as I finally broke through at the front, I saw why everyone was so worried.

Hector stood on one side of the area, holding a bag that was filled with bottles of milky fluid that were in danger of tumbling out as he thrust his arm above his head over and over again. Right behind him was Seth, standing with Shade and Evangeline in shackles, the two of them looking positively murderous at the state they were in. Shade was standing closer to Evangeline than usual though, and his eye continued to shift back and forth as multiple members of Hector's group inched toward her. Evangeline glared at them coolly though, keeping them at bay with that, while her fingers twitched as if she could just barely feel the metal around her and was itching to use it.

Farley stood at strict attention directly in front of me, with dark circles under her eyes, and her hair pulled back in a weak showing of getting ready. Her uniform was in shambles, and she looked as if she had seen better days years ago, then again she probably had. This war had taken more out of her than any of us, and I was reminded once more how she received no thanks for her work. She worked around the clock to make sure that our branch functioned smoothly. She didn't just manage this compound though, she managed every person in the Guard that worked in Norta. It was a lot for someone as young as her to handle.

"Hector this is outrageous, stand down." Farley ordered, her eyes narrowing dangerously as her hand strayed to her belt and the gun that she had holstered there. Hector saw the movement, but made no move stop his tirade. In fact, her action only seemed to fire him up more. Shaking the bag again he shouted to everyone present, "You see, I've been saying this for months! You're too soft Diana, you're too willing to give second chances. That is not what this revolution is about."

"You're right, it's about our people finally having a say in what happens to them." Farley fired back, but it was obvious that Hector's comment had shattered something deep inside of her. Her fingers wavered on the butt of the gun, and for a moment, it looked like she was going to draw and fire. If she did though, she was doomed. Shooting Hector would turn everyone against her, especially since the people standing behind her were mumbling to agree with him. She was between a rock and a hard place, and was struggling to figure out which was the worse situation of the two. At the moment, I wasn't sure either.

"But you haven't given that to them! How can you call yourself their leader, when you don't give them what they want? You don't deserve the title given to you!" Hector declared, and his side roared in agreement. The people on either side of Evangeline and Shade jostled them, and almost pushed them to the floor. Shade's feet almost slipped and Evangeline supported his shoulder with her own so that he didn't fall. I took a half step forward when I saw that, as if I could help my brother, but I hesitated when I saw Seth's eyes meet mine across the space. His irises gleamed with pleasure at the pain being caused around him, and I froze in surprise upon seeing that. It had been a long time since I had seem something like that, in fact, it had to have been the Bowl of Bones when Maven stood above me, reveling in the fact that his brother and I would soon be dead.

Farley had no response to Hector's accusation, and her silence only fueled his argument further. He puffed out his chest, and pointed at her decisively to state, "You are more worried about your power and pride than saving your people. All I ask is for the leadership role in exchange for the medication these people so desperately need!"

I blinked in horror as I realized what that could mean. Hector in command, in exchange for the medicine we needed, there was something almost disgusting about it. How could he chose now to do this now? That medication was not a bargaining chip, it was a life force, not just for anyone, but for Maggie, and for Cal. A selfish part of me screamed at Farley to just step down so that I could give the two of them what they so desperately needed. At the same time though, I knew that with Hector in command, we might really fall apart.

I stood almost directly behind Farley, and I watched her shoulder's tense in fear as she realized that Hector had pigeonholed her into handing over leadership. If she didn't, then the people would be furious, they would rebel, the Guard would fracture, or worse fall apart completely and all the work we had put in would be worth nothing. But if she accepted, and took the medication, she would save everyone, but Hector would be in control and there would be no chance for her to take back command without causing the same problems. This had been building up under her for a while though, and she should have seen it.

I watched as Farley slowly crumbled though. Her shoulder's slumped, and her hand fell away from her gun. She looked even worse like that, and it took all my willpower not to step up and set my hand on her shoulder. I wanted the whole picture before I did anything, there would be no more just spouting off words or just acting. I would be the person I had to be, the kind of person I could be proud of.

Hector laughed then, and throwing his arms out, he said, "This is what we can't have! We need a leader who's going to take initiative and take down the Silvers. Henceforth, I'm breaking off from this corrupt body that dares to say it stands for my people. If you want to fight back, then join me, join the Rising Sun!"

There were murmurs around me, and my lips curled at the name. He could have at least tried to be original, but in a way, the name was fitting. Take what people loved about the Guard and build it back to what people thought it should be. Make it militant, more risky, and people would flock to him. As if my very words were the truth, people began to filter over, nudging their comrades and glaring at Farley as they stepped up behind Hector. I watched in horror as throngs of people pushed by me and stepped up behind the man who had almost gotten a whole squadron on men and women killed based off of a foolhardy plan. Did they really think he could save them?

A small group of almost a hundred stayed behind, most of them older men with wives that were clutching small children and trying to keep them calm. I looked back at them sadly, and then across the way at the massive horde of young men and women that had chosen to hand their lives over to a man who probably didn't care about them. There was no way that Hector would be able to handle these people, he would kill them all.

Farley straightened her shoulders, and then looked up and spit, "Give us Shade and Evangeline then, you have no need for them."

Hector pursed his lips in irritation and then glanced at Seth and nodded. The massive man grabbed Shade's shoulders and shoved him toward us. He took a few stumbling steps because his arms were tied behind his back, but I stepped forward across the space and caught him and then asked if he was okay. He nodded and when Evangeline didn't follow him, he looked over his shoulder in panic. I follow his eye and see Seth gripping Evangeline's shoulder tightly, almost to the point of shattering bone. She looked furious though, and I had a feeling that if she wasn't somehow inhibited, Seth would have been a pushpin full of knives at her feet. Even though Shade tried to tug against my hold and go back to her, I corralled him over to the side, where Gisa immediately took him and supported him while our brothers went to work at his shackles.

"Give her to us Hector, you have no reason to keep her." Farley spoke with enough fire to ignite the stars, but her demeanor was completely broken. Without the real fire behind voice though, she was almost nothing, and Hector practically swatted aside her comment. Grinning from ear to ear, he glanced Evangeline up and down and then said, "She knows too much, about the Guard, about us, she needs to be removed."

Shade stood up even straighter if that was possible in his state, and pointing at Hector he went to shout something, only for Seth to squeeze Evangeline's shoulder so tightly that she squirmed to try and get out of his grip and let out a soft squeak of pain. Shade tensed when he saw that, but closed his mouth and let his shoulders slump back down. Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to do anything to help her, I took a hesitant step forward, so that I was shoulder to shoulder with Farley. She looked at me hesitantly, and in her eyes, I could see it, she was terrified that I was leaving her too. She would be completely bereft if I left. She would lose Cal to a virus that was stealing the breath from his lungs, she would lose Evangeline to a egotistical maniac, and she could possibly lose me too.

I took a step beyond her then, and everyone let out a soft gasp as I began to cross the space in silence. My mind was in a tailspin though, and I was completely unsure of what I was going to do once I got to the other side. In my mind, Hector was right to an extent. Farley was too emotionally invested in her work now, and she was now technically not fit to run the Guard anymore because of that. But she was invested because she cared, but should she not care? If she didn't care, did that mean she wasn't fit to rule? But, caring about us made all the difference, I supposed.

I glanced over my shoulder at the group behind me, and saw a sea of terrified and unsure faces. Standing a few feet behind Shade and my family was Torin, his eyes as wide as the moon, and his jaw hanging slack. Next to him was Isabella, clutching her baby to her chest and holding a terrified Chelsea close. Oscar stood in complete horror, and he seems to shuffle forward before Torin grabs his arm and pulls him back. Behind them all though, leaning up against the pole of the medical tent, was Cal. The medic behind him was grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back, but he didn't look to be budging anytime soon. His eyes were watching me like I was a stranger, and he looked like I was stabbing him in the heart over and over again with a serrated knife. I turned then, certain of my decision, and completely continued toward Hector. He stood with his arms wide open, as if he were going to embrace me, and with a wide, triumphant grin, he said, "Oh yes, what a fantastic decision Mare. You see, this is why you survived the Silver Court, because you make the right decisions."

I lifted my chin as I stood before him then, and with a twist of my lips, I drew my fist back and drove it straight into his throat. He choked in surprise, and the entire crowd fell to horrified silence behind him, as he dropped the bag. I caught it, and glanced inside before tossing it over my shoulder to Farley. She fumbled with it for a moment, completely shocked by the turn of events, before clutching it to her chest in desperation.

Hector had collapsed to the floor at my feet, and had curled up on the floor into a tight ball to protect himself from anymore of my strikes. With a sniff of disgust, I stepped over him, and started toward Seth who squared his shoulders and appeared to prepare himself to fight me. I only narrowed my eyes at his stance, and let sparks of lightning dance between my fingertips. He watched them as they slowly raced up my arms, and I saw him lick his lower lip in anticipation. But as I steadily approached him, he began to reevaluate facing off against me. The more I saw of him, the more I began to believe that he might be a New Blood like me, he was much too strong to be average, but if he knew the truth, he didn't say anything about it.

When I stood before them, I straightened my shoulders and hissed, "Let her go."

For a moment he seemed to debate about it, and then removed his fingers one by one from Evangeline's shoulder, like a disgruntled fisherman letting his best catch go to keep the river populated for future generations. Evangeline scurried over to the other side, her eyes on me over her shoulder. As soon as she was on the other side, the others began to work to remove her shackles like they had done with Shade.

Seeing that I had done all I could, I turned on my heel and began to walk back, keeping my eyes straight ahead and on no one else. I heard Hector getting to his feet behind me in the silence, and from his heavy panting it was obvious that he was furious. He had a right to be though, I had humiliated him in front of everyone, and that thought was the only thing that brought a smile to my face. I was proud to have put him in his place, and to have finally had the opportunity to shove my fist into his throat and shut him up.

"You stupid girl, you could have killed me!"

His shout stopped me dead in my tracks, and I slowly turned around to glare at him over my shoulder. He was clutching at his throat, doubled over around the pain, but his eyes were filled with a fire that could have scorched me, if only fire was hotter than lightning. Raising my chin, I met his eye and spit, "Which would have been better than you getting all of these people killed."

For a moment, I thought he was going to bow out and concede the victory, but he was stubborn, and his ego refused to be bruised any longer. Pushing himself up from his bent posture, he pointed a threatening finger at me and argued, "At least they'll fight, at least they won't sit in this hell hole like cowards waiting to be slaughtered!"

Behind him the whole crowd exploded in cheers, and I watched as a sea of young faces were slowly twisted into monstrous masks. In a flash, I saw thousands of the young men with the same look on their faces dead on a battlefield, their weapons thrown aside by a Silver who had marched over them like they were nothing but the common dirt at his feet. It was then that I understood why Cal had been so afraid of me agreeing with Hector. They all looked like the Silver's who had stalked after us in the Bowl of Bones, filled with rages and lies that twisted them into a caricature of who they had once been. I no longer saw the people, I saw the angry twisted spirits that were exploding out like demons, and that terrified me.

I inhaled deeply though, forcing myself to relax so that my next words came out without sounding weak and pathetic. I thought about the way Cal used to stand, with his shoulder's back and his head high, no matter what information he was about to deliver. So I did the same as I stepped before Farley who had no response for Hector herself, and made myself as big as possible. Even though I knew that I was not that intimidating with my height, I was determined to prove that my lightning coursed through me and fired my words and actions.

"We can't just expect to stroll into a base and be victorious every single time," I began, as I took a step forward and began to pace along the line of people, my eyes trying to meet every single person's as I went. They all bowed their heads as I passed and continued, "If we did, and we stormed the bases and slaughtered every man, woman, and child in that building, we would be no better than the monsters we are supposedly fighting. We need a higher cause, a higher moral ground than that. We have to be better than that. If you want to be victorious, then you need to accept that the victory will come with time."

I paused, long enough to draw breath and hear every single person inhale at the same time. It was exhilarating, having all their eyes on me, while I spoke, but at the same time, I could feel my palms sweating and my heart racing. One wrong word, and I would lose my entire audience, I would doom Farley and the rest of the Guard. For a moment, I called on Mareena from the Silver Court, the girl who with one wrong step, could doom herself and her family. Swallowing around the tightness in my throat then, I glanced at Hector and said, "There are other ways to winning this war, but the Scarlet Guard is taking not only the people fighting the war into consideration, but also the families they want to return to."

There were a few murmurs, and then some of the crowd behind Hector edged around the space and returned to Farley's side, their eyes wary as they returned to the people they had once abandoned. They were welcomed back though, with everyone hugging them and whispering words of comfort. The people behind Hector sneered though, disgusted with the young people who had chosen to be more conservative.

As soon as I saw that, I turned my back, and start toward the group as well. Isabella smiled widely, and walked toward me with her arm wide to embrace me. She pulled me close and pressed a light kiss into my hairline, whispering in her native tongue. I smiled at her gratefully, and as I went to disappear into the crowd and make my way toward Cal who was leaning against the pole still with a soft smile, Hector shouted at my back once more.

"Then you're as Silver as the rest of the monsters we're fighting!" He screamed in fury, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Everyone was silent around me, and for a moment, I felt the sparks on the edge of my thoughts, demanding to rise up and smite him completely. They danced across my fingertips for a moment, and I closed my hand in a fist to force them down. I wouldn't be riled up by Hector anymore, not after he had just made a complete fool of himself. Inhaling deeply once more to center myself completely, I looked at him over my shoulder and replied, "You know what Hector, you might be right. But monsters attack when someone speaks loudly, so you better speak with a soft voice around me, and the rest of Phoenix Legion, because they are just as strong as me. We are what is going to win this war, and I won't be doing it for you. I'll be fighting for the people that actually matter, the people who want what's best for this country, and not themselves."

Hector seemed to inflate in fury, but he was silent it seemed, and from the looks of it, he wasn't going to be saying anything any time soon. I nodded then, and turned to Farley who had finally stepped forward to finish the job. With a determined glint in her eye that I hadn't seen in months, she said, "Leave Hector, your people are welcome back at anytime, but you will not be. Take two transports, and leave."

If he had been furious before, Hector was murderous now. He looked at me with a deadly sneer and spit, "This isn't over, when it comes down to it, I will put a bullet through Calore's skull to keep him off that throne. So keep your little Silver boyfriend locked up nice and tight Barrow, because I will finish him off if this virus doesn't do it for me."

"Now Hector, or my men will escort you out." Farley announced as she finally unclipped the gun from her holster. Behind her, a few men did the same, and stepped up next to her. Hector took this in, and then with a twist of his lips, he turned on his heel and marched through the crowd behind him. They filed after, like the dutiful followers they were, and at the back, almost hesitating, was Kilorn.

He glanced across the way at me, as if he could change my mind with that look. To his disappointment, I shook my head and took another definitive step toward the medical tent. Even though he was at least thirty meters away, I could see his eyes narrow, and his heart shatter behind his irises. We had grown close again during the time that I had been separated from Cal, but I couldn't follow him down the path he had chosen. His decision to follow Hector would be the final cut in our relationship, and there looked to be no way of repairing it. It broke my heart to think about that, and like the selfish being I was, I turned away from him and disappeared through the crowd to avoid looking at him leaving. I would probably never see him again, and it broke my own heart to think that two years ago, I would have run to him and begged him to stay, begged him to see reason. We were much different people though, and we could never go back to who we had been. The path we had once traveled was gone, completely covered with foliage and mist that obscured everything. I wished that I could go back, but there was nothing to go back to.

He turned his back then, and ran to catch up to the others, who all clapped him on the back and congratulated him on his choice. In my heart of hearts I hoped that it wasn't the last time I saw him, because in the end, I would always wanted the best for him. If he used his rope to hang himself though, there was nothing I could do. Kilorn was old enough to make his own decisions, even if they were based in blind hatred and bigotry. If he couldn't see the truth though, then he shouldn't be with the Guard.

Slowly, I turned my back as well, and as I passed Farley I said, "Make sure that we make replicas of that stuff and send it out into the villages. The people will thank us."

She had the decency to look pitying as she replied, "Of course, and Barrow," I paused from walking and met her eye over my shoulder as she continued with a soft smile, "for what it's worth, I'm glad you said those things and that you're staying here with us."

I shrugged as if it was the obvious thing to have done, and said, "I wasn't going anywhere anyway. This is my home, and this is the side I believe in."

I completely believed those words too, they were the truth from the deepest part of my soul. The Guard was the middle ground now, between the extremes that we were facing on all sides like valley hills. The Red's in the villages, who stood and watched the war pass them by, were one side, and Hector's group was the other. The middle ground was where I belonged, regardless of my opinions on war and strategy, not that I had very intelligent ones at that. The goal of the Guard was not to go out and kill Maven, and Maven only, like I wanted to, and I saw that now. The goal was to even the playing field, maybe even level it completely, and create a new future, one where people like me and Cal could exist and settle down without the fear of being shamed or killed. I was willing to die for that future, and that was all that mattered.

I approached Cal slowly then, like I was walking before a firing squad. He lifted his head weakly to smile at me, and then reaching out with a shaking hand, he cupped the side of my face and choked, "That was well said little lightning girl."

Cupping his hand with my own, I nuzzled my cheek into his burning palm and whispered softly, "You shouldn't be up, you need to be resting."

He chuckled softly, as I stepped forward again and slipped his arm over my shoulders so that I was supporting him as I led him back into the medical tent. All around us, medics were hanging IV bags with the medicine in it, and chatting hopefully as they worked. We had gotten lucky, and for that, everyone was grateful. No one was more grateful than me though, as I laid Cal down in his bed, and watched a medic hook Maggie up to a drip with the medicine. I watched with a bright smile as the milky liquid pushed through the tube and needle, and into her bloodstream where it would hopefully bring her back from the brink.

As soon as the medic was done with her, he moved on to Cal, who turned his arm over and looked away as they pushed another needle into his skin. His eyes met mine, and I ran my fingers through his hair absentmindedly, hoping to soothe him like I had been doing early. He squeezed my hand softly, and after the medic had left through the tent flap, he spoke with a heavy voice, "I've been meaning to tell you that I'm sorry Mare."

"For what?" I asked stupidly, he had nothing to really be sorry for. We had both said hurtful things, but I had been the one to leap to conclusions instead of just talking with him and getting to the root of the problem. If anyone was to blame for what happened between us, it was me.

His lips pursed for a second, and then with a heavy sigh he closed his eyes and said, "For not telling you about Julian, and what I was doing. I should have told you, there was no reason to keep it from you. I just," He trailed off for a second as if he were about to fall asleep, but he forced his eyes open and squeezed my hand once more, "I just wanted to keep him safe. He's the only family I really have left, and I couldn't drag him into this war and lose him."

I nodded slowly, completely understanding his choice. I bent down and pressed a light kiss to his still burning forehead and replied in a whisper against his skin, "I would have done the same, if it was anyone from my family."

"Next time I'll tell you," he said with a tired exhale as his eyes started to close again, "We can't keep secrets from each other anymore, not if we want whatever it is that we have to work out."

I chuckled softly and then rested my cheek against his head and replied softly, "Of course Cal. Now will you please go to sleep so that you can get better?"

With a tenuous smile, he nodded, and then let himself completely drift off. I listened to his breathing for a few seconds after that, and even though I was probably imagining it, he already sounded a hundred times better. That thought drew a smile to my lips too though, and I pressed another kiss into his hairline before settling in next to him, with one of my arms exposed so that the medic could give me a dose of the medicine if need be. As I laid there, trying to think about what our next move would be, I realized that we had a long way to go. We had lost at least three-fourths of our numbers, and we would need to do a lot of recruiting. As I thought about that, I remembered the book of names that I had left in Cal's room on the little crate. It was about time that I cracked that open again and found more New Bloods. If I was right, and the New Bloods were the ones that were going to win the war, then we were going to need a hell of a lot more.

 _(/_ _ **Shade**_ _/)_  
I watched Gisa's hands as she slowly stitched up the wound in my leg. Her hands were shaking as she did so, while she listened to me tell her everything that had happened. Chelsea wasn't far away either, and per the usual these days, she was sitting and listening intently. She did that a lot more lately, and I had a feeling it was because I had done that for her when she had come crying to me a few months ago, saying she felt like an outsider because of the way she felt about Maribel. The two of them had since worked out the problems and had decided in the end that it was better that they were outsiders together, than alone. I was more than happy for her, and I had expressed such when she had come and visited me a few weeks ago. As a teenager she had her romantic life more put together than me, and although I laughed at the irony of it to myself, I couldn't help but be a little bitter. It was so much easier to give love when you knew the other person was going to repay you in full.

Gisa finished her stitching, and then patting my uninjured knee, she said, "I'm glad you guys came back. Momma was getting worried."  
"She's always worried," I chuckled as I slowly shrugged on my jacket. I glanced across the tent then at Evangeline who was sitting completely still while a medic checked her ribs for any signs of breakage. For the most part she had checked out though, her cuts were mostly superficial, and her quick thinking of keeping up both awake in the tunnels had saved us from dying of hypothermia. The medics had still told both of us that we needed to take doses of the medication, and that we would have to come to them if we showed any other signs of infection. Evangeline had grumbled about that, but had agreed nonetheless, deciding that it was better to do as she was told, instead of die from a cold that she caught because she had trudged through the snow with wet hair and a struggling immune system.

As if she sensed my eyes then, she turned her head to meet my gaze across the space, and I saw her cheeks flush for a moment before she turned her head once more to pay attention to the medic. Sometimes, I wondered if she drew me along just for the fun of it, but something had changed during our mission. I had seen a broken and beaten side of her, that had had the chance to kill her brother and save herself, but had chosen instead to be killed and spare his life. I had seen her almost give up when she thought we would die in the tunnels, and seeing underneath her shields had finalized everything for me.

We had never seen eye to eye on anything, but something fundamental had changed between the two of us. I wasn't even sure when the change had taken place, when the animosity had vanished and been replaced with soft glances and weak smiles, or when we had stopped trying to kill each other and instead started to listen. It had snuck up on me though, and I could no longer ignore the feeling, or the desire building up inside of me. She had started out like a statue carved from marble, but the more I had stopped and stared, the more I had noticed and come to admire. She had a strong jaw, but there was something inherently feminine about it, something that reminded me of smooth lines and delicate glass that gleamed in the dark. Her eyes had once been hard onyx, completely unyielding, but now, they carried a dark midnight blue. She was, in her own way, beautiful, like a sharp blade, or a storm on the horizon. She was like the rush of danger and adrenaline you felt while you were running against a clock, knowing that you were running out of time, and that no matter what you did, you would never make it. She was like the freedom of flight, of throwing your arms out and letting the wind tug at your hair and clothes as it tried to pull you along with it. She was of otherworldly beauty, and was almost supernatural in it. There were no words to describe her, only feelings, and natural occurrences, like a bolt of lightning striking the same spot twice.

Slowly, I climbed off the table, but was halted from continued toward her when Chelsea slipped her hand around my wrist and held me back. I glanced down at her, and she stood to meet my eye and whispered, "Shade, please, you said so yourself that she would hurt you."

My lips drew into a tight line at what I had said almost half a year ago, and I turned my head away to reply, "Something's changed though Chel, I know what I'm doing now."

She sighed softly, and pressed a light kiss to my cheek, whispering, "Be careful then, knives are pretty but sharp."

Snorting to hide my amusement at her choice of words, I slipped my wrist out of her grip and looked up to see Evangeline at the exit to the tent. She was gripping the fabric of the flap tightly in her fist, with her jaw set tight, and her eyes like steel as she glanced slowly between me and Chelsea. When she realized I was staring at her, her eyes turned away quickly and she disappeared from the exit just as suddenly. Squaring my shoulders for what was to come, I started after her, determined to catch up and talk with her.

Although there was fewer people walking around the compound, Evangeline still managed to blend in and vanish. She wasn't impossible to find though, and typically she stood out like a beacon with her platinum hair. Sure enough, I found her hair in the small crowd and started after her. She was walking quickly though, and obviously trying to lose me, because she would bow her head sometimes and cut in front of people to make it harder to keep up with her. She was running out of tents and people to hide in front of though, and soon enough, she broke through the majority and was completely in the open. I wasn't far behind her either.

I grabbed her arm tightly once I had caught up with her near the stairs, and in the tight alcove that dipped down into the the stairs. Next to us, the waterfall roared and drowned out most of the sounds around us, until all I could hear was the echoes that reverberated through the small space around us. Spinning her to face me, I teased, "What are you running from?"

She pulled on her arm slightly, trying to take it out my grip, and then replied stubbornly, "I wasn't running from anything. I was going to bed," she tried to pull on her arm again and scowled when I didn't let go, "I'm tired."

I stepped closer to her, closing the step of space between us as I asked softly to keep her from thinking about leaving, "Did the medics say what was wrong with your ribs?"

Her lips drew into a soft line, but she stopped struggling and waved her hand in an exaggerated manner instead, "It's nothing, just some bad bruising, I'll be perfectly fine in a few days. Now let go of me so that I can go sleep."

I let go then as she had commanded, and tucked my hands in my pockets, watching her expectantly. She didn't leave though, instead she crossed her arms, and threw her hair over her shoulder with a flick of her head. It tumbled like a cascade of platinum, and then with a huff she said, "Shouldn't you be getting back to Chelsea, the two of you seemed very wrapped up in each other, and I'd hate to pull you away."  
My stomach fluttered in surprise at her tone, and I watched curiously as she averted her eyes quickly when I didn't respond. She could be so clueless sometimes, and I supposed that was one of the gorgeous things about her. She carried herself like she knew what she was doing, but deep down, she had no idea what was going on, and she refused to let anyone help her because of that. It must have been the way she was brought up in the Silver Court. They could not show weakness, and not knowing the plan was certainly a weakness. She should have learned by now though that it really wasn't. Sometimes, being unpredictable was a strength.

"You really like to be the center of attention, don't you?" I asked, and although my words were biting, I didn't mean for them to hurt, only to tease and draw a drop of blood so that she would stay to draw some of her own. I had seriously miscalculated though, because her eyes exploded with fire, and she pursed her lips tightly for a second. Before I could respond though, she hissed in response, "Well, you certainly like play with people's emotions, don't you?"  
I blanched for a moment, completely taken aback by what she had said. She was not teasing when she said that, Evangeline did not tease when she asked rhetorical questions. Her words had been bitter and I could almost taste the blood she was drawing with each syllable. This was how everything seemed to go with us though, one person nudged, and the other took it as an attack, and then we were trying to kill each other once more.

"Is that so?" I asked while I chewed on my lip in fury, trying to keep the biting and burning comments back. This conversation needed to stay as calm as possible, there was still a chance to save it though. I just had to explain why I had come to talk to her, we could apologize for the first time in our relationship, and then everything would be fine. I should have known things were never that easy.

Evangeline was on a tear at this point, and my words had only lit a fire inside of her that must have been simmering for some time. Her skin had paled to a paint white, and she looked like she was on the verge of ripping one of the metal pipes near her out of the wall and impaling me with it. I wouldn't have put it past her either, and when I glanced down momentarily, I saw her fingers twitching as if she were debating it too. She held back physically in the end, but not verbally, and her next words were worth a thousand knives cutting into my skin.

"Yes it is. You're exactly like the men from court, always so preoccupied with who you're going to lay down and enjoy next. You're no better than any one of the men I lived my life with." She hissed in fury, but her words seemed to fall away in the end, and her eyes looked like they were watering. She was going to cry from the looks of it, and I wondered if that was because I had shattered her expectations completely, or if she was thinking about the past and everything she had lost. A single tear rolled down from her eyes then, and with a furious hand, she reached up and swiped it away, as if the very thought of me seeing it was unacceptable. Normally, I would have paused and thought about my next words, would have weighed the consequences of saying them, but I was so furious with her comment that the words just tumbled out. "You know, I honestly thought that after this mission, that you had changed. Apparently I was wrong. You're still the same stuck up, self-centered Silver bitch that you've always been."

Her mouth opened in what looked like horror at my statement, but she made no motion to refute it, or trying and fight back. Instead, she pursed her lips tightly, and swallowed thickly, as if something were stuck in her throat. She turned her face away from me to hide the tears that were threatening to escape, and although I felt a prickling of regret that I had caused her any form of pain, my anger over her words was enough to keep me from apologizing. I expelled a heavy sigh through my nose and then whispered heatedly, "Go ahead and lock yourself up in your room and lick your wounds Blondie, take care of yourself and all that. That's what you're good at though, isn't it?"

With that, I pushed passed her and continued out of the medical area completely. How could I have been so stupid as to believe things had changed? How could I have been so stupid as to say those things though? She had changed, I had seen it, that conversation had just been a rough patch, a little bump in the road between us. It shouldn't have defined everything, but it seemed to.

The compound was silent, even for being late at night. There was normally people buzzing around even at this time of night, but now, there was no one. Hector had taken the majority of our people, and it showed in the surrounding area. Not having as many people around was almost better though, it was less crowded, which made it so much easier to storm through the center of the compound and toward the barracks. I rammed my fingers into my messy hair and tried not to rip it out by the roots. She was perhaps the most infuriate creature in this universe. Her tongue was as silver as her blood and her words cut me every time, but I still kept going back for more. As if that hadn't twisted my thoughts enough, I liked it when she fought back, when she made my life difficult. She was the only person who was willing to, besides Mare, and even that got boring sometimes. But sparring verbally with Evangeline Samos was like fighting a wave of water, it was inevitable that I would get soaked and that I would be crushed by it, yet I always crawled back for one more round.

"Barrow!" She screamed my name from behind, fury coating her tone like paint, and I forced a grimace, even though I wanted to smile in triumph. She was running to me now, coming after me to get the last word. I could never win with her, and that was the fun in it, I supposed. The game got boring if you won every round.

Flipping around, I almost turned into her, but she halted her pace suddenly to account for me. In the few moments it had taken me to leave from the medical area, she had pieced herself back together and put her mask back on. Huffing in annoyance at my sudden stop, she blew a perfect platinum hair out of her eyes and growled, "Are you always so difficult?"

"I was going to ask the same of you Blondie." I loved watching her puff up in fury at that nickname, but lately, she had stopped doing that and had instead cracked a smile, like she enjoyed it. Even now, when she was obviously upset with me, her lips still quirked up in the slightest of grins. That was not in the rules though, she had to play by the rules, my rules, but apparently we weren't playing my game anymore. She sighed and then running a hand through her annoyingly perfect hair, she murmured, "I-I didn't mean to say that back there, you had every right to be upset, but I just came to apologize."

My tongue went numb in surprise, and I ended up standing there, stone still, watching her curiously. In the low light, her hair glowed like a precious metal, and when I looked closely at her eyes, I saw that they weren't as black as I thought they were, they were almost a midnight blue in that moment, with hints of grey in them, a rather pretty combination in the light we were in. My pulse quickened at that thought, and I hoped that the water cascading down next to us hid the pounding of my heart in my chest. For a moment, I was terrified that the stupid thing would explode out of my chest, but nothing happened, I didn't so much as breathe, and neither did she.

We stood in the silence for some time, until I managed to open my mouth and whisper, "I think that's the first time that you have ever apologized to me."

In fact, it was, and she was the first person to do it, which seemed even more surprising. I wasn't sure if I should reply with the same words though, or if I should say something else to congratulate her. She had changed then, and here was my proof.

Her brow raised in confusion, and I realized that I had broken one of the rules of our game myself. I had been sympathetic, I had understood, and that broke the number one rule between us. At the moment though, the game slipped away, our blood color vanished like wisps of smoke, and it was suddenly just us. Two people locked in a strange moment of vulnerability and weakness, with no idea how to deal with it. It was as if the air had been sucked out of my lungs as I took her in. She offered me a gentle, unsure smile, and then did the unthinkable and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, turning her head at the same time to hide a blush that made her paler than the moon.

"Yes, well, I supposed there are a lot of apologies in order." She murmured uncomfortably, her fingers running through her hair and preening it at she twisted it behind her ear over and over again. She pushed most of it over her shoulder and I caught a glimpse of her silk smooth skin, pale as porcelain, and as beautiful as it too. Once more we stood in silence, the two of us trying to avoid the sudden breach in our boundaries, but for some reason neither of us seemed particularly bothered by it.

She shifted suddenly, and then murmured, "I supposed I should be getting back, and you-you probably should go see Chelsea again."

"Evangeline," I whispered her name softly, and she glanced up, her eyes wary as she whispered, "You never call me by my name."

This whole moment had escalated into us breaking every single one of the walls and rules between us, and I liked it. The more I did it, the more I wanted to tear them down, brick by brick, thought by thought. She was worth that much, worth every second of deflating my pride to apologize and compliment her. I smiled lightly realizing that truth as I whispered, "Maybe I should do it more, it _is_ a very beautiful name."

She paled in a blush again, and then tucked her chin in her shoulder to hide her grin at the compliment. Something drastic had shifted in that moment, as if all the animosity between us had suddenly been transfigured into something else, and neither of us quite knew what to do with it.

"Thank you." She whispered softly, her eyes rising to meet mine, and they sparkled like diamonds in the light, and her smile was as soft as her voice, so unsure for the first time it seemed. We were quiet again, and her smile slowly fell as she began to realize that we were treading in very deep waters, that neither of us were prepared for. Shifting from one foot of the other, she looked away to avoid my gaze, and asked hesitantly, "Shade, what is this? What are we doing?"

"I thought we were just talking." Instantly, I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself in it. _Stupid_ , I thought, chiding myself for thinking that that comment was necessary at the moment. She obviously wanted to hear something else, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to deliver those words to her. I had been so sure with Chelsea, but that had turned out to be nothing, maybe this was the same thing? A part of me was quietly whispering that it was, but another part, a much louder part, was demanding that I make sure, that investigate the matter before she left and the conversation left forever.

"I'm not sure what we're doing Evangeline," her eyes snapped up to mine again and I tucked my hands in my pockets as I continued, "But it doesn't feel wrong, it actually feels… kind of nice."

Her brow raised and she asked, "So I'm not imaging this?"

"Well then you and I have are having the very same hallucination, which would be rather strange." I replied with a laugh, that actually brought a laugh out of her too. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment then, her eyes wandering everywhere but my face as she teased, "That would be something."

We were quiet again, and the only sound that could be heard was the pounding of the water next to us, but it could have also been my pulse in my ears as I reached out and lightly took her fingers in my grip. Her gaze snapped down to our interlocked hands, and she asked carefully, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure, I just thought it was right." I said with a shrug before I went to let go. She clutched at my fingers though, as if they were a life line, and then shifting again she whispered, "I want to try something then too, close your eyes."

"Why?" I asked, even as I obeyed. No matter what she said, I would always do it. I had come to trust her, and hopefully she had come to trust me too. Whatever was happening though, had felt like a long time coming, and I wanted nothing more than to pull it closer and force it to happen faster.

Evangeline was quiet for a second before she replied to my question, "Because I said so." Her breath brushed my lips and I froze for a moment in surprise at her sudden proximity. We were standing in the middle of the compound, where anyone could walk out and see us, and I doubted that was the best thing right now. Before I could protest though, she had pressed a light kiss against the side of my mouth, her touch like a feather, as if she were fearful of being burned. My stomach turned in surprise, and I immediately followed my instinctual reaction and turned my head to the side to complete the kiss. She pulled away as soon as she sensed my movement though, and I opened my eyes to look down at her, confused. She blinked in surprise at my reaction and then back away a step before turning quickly, as if she were trying to escape. I caught her hand though and pulled her close, my arm wrapping around her waist and trapping her against me as I inquired, "Why did you stop?"

"I thought you didn't like it." She replied breathlessly, her hand supporting herself against my shoulder, but slowly, her arm relaxed and she leaned into me as she whispered, "Did you like it?"

I smiled as I tilted my head down to hers and pressed my own feather light touch against her lips. I felt the breath leave her body in a hushed whisper as she clutched at the fabric of my jacket and closed her own eyes. It was like a line had been crossed, and we were beyond the point of no return, because suddenly, we couldn't stop. Her hand snaked up to grab my neck and pull me down to her, so that our lips crushed against each others. I bit her lip by accident and tasted the metallic tang of blood on my tongue, but if she noticed, she didn't say anything, because she pressed herself against me and tangled her fingers in my hair.

This kiss was different than anything I had ever experienced, it was like fire touching ice, burning itself into oblivion. I ran my hand up her back and finally allowed myself the weakness of touching her hair, and it was a soft as I thought it would be. She brushed her cheek against my own and I sighed at the silky feeling of her skin on my own, and I pulled her closer to inhale her scent as she pressed light kisses against my jaw line. She smelled like the sea, and for a moment, I thought that I was drowning in her, in her touch, in her eyes, as they looked up into my own.

Without a doubt, I was in love with her. I loved every part of her, down to her most bitter and angry parts. That kiss had been everything I had ever wanted, she was everything I had ever wanted. She was strong and determined, and she didn't bow to the rules or others. She was as feisty as she was powerful, but when she showed me her vulnerable side, that was worth getting on my knees for and bowing. I had no king or country to bow to anymore, but for her, I would kneel until my knees were black and blue, and my legs trembled with exhaustion.

When we broke apart, we were both gasping for air, and our pulses pounded erratically, making it impossible to speak, so we didn't. I only took her hand and pulled her towards the barracks, towards the privacy of my own room, where no one could bother us. She smiled as I pulled her away, and her excitement was enough to light my own. It wouldn't be the first time I took someone into privacy like this, but the way her eyes lit up, was enough tell me that it wouldn't be like the other times, that nothing would ever be the same again. I didn't mind though, it was about time that things started changing around here.

 _A/N_

 _Howdy, Howdy, Hey! Here it is folks, the next chapter. I hope these past two have been a little closer together. I had a kick of inspiration and really tried to pump this one out. And as you can see, happy endings for all, the ships are sailing, the crops are ready to be harvest, the well is full, the sun in shining… but not for long….. MWHAHAHAHA. Sorry, got a little carried away. And yes, the Evanshade ship is sailing, and it pleases me. The next chapter will have some action in it, another mission and all that, no telling what will happen, but it'll be good. (: With that, Ciao my lovelies, see you in the next chapter._

 _ **QUESTION TIME!  
**_ _Alright, so a long time ago, I actually wrote the last part of this chapter, and then wrote what happens afterward for Shade and Eve, now, it is massively M rated, but it had muy importante character development for Eve. Would you all like me to post it separately? Would anyone want to read it? Am I asking too much? Just let me know in the reviews if anyone would be interested. (:_


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 _(/_ _ **Shade**_ _/)_

I woke late, later than I should have, but I could afford to. Everything had been quiet after Hector had left. He'd taken enough civilians and men that we weren't completely deprived, and our stores, which had seemed empty for the amount of people we had to feed, were now more than enough. People were finally allowed three meals a day, and for some, it was a saving grace.

Sighing, I ran my hands down my face, trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I was due on a mission this morning, and I had planned to get up, have a nice, relaxing breakfast and then take on the shitshow that was going to be this disaster.

Mare had come to me a month ago, while Cal had been recovering, and claimed that she wanted to go out and start recruiting New Bloods again. Maven had been lashing out at them recently, and although Farley had argued that it was at the least a trap, Mare had stated that she had a duty to the people she had unknowingly exposed. Cal had agreed with her wholeheartedly, and the two of them had immediately begun planning the missions. Cal had unfortunately not been able to attend the first few because of his poor health still. But a month later, he had been cleared by the medics for the most recent of missions. It was set to leave this morning, and we would be stopping off at two different locations to pick up a young woman who was still alive according to the data our technicians had, and a little boy who was in the north.  
I had seriously miscalculated how late I would be up though. Evangeline had insisted that we sleep, saying that we needed it, but I had been adamant. I needed her now, like a drug or a drink, and after not seeing her for two weeks while she was off playing hero with Farley's squadron, I had been going through a withdrawal.

Speaking of Evangeline, I glanced at her next to me. She was still out cold, with the sheets barely pulled up over her lower back, and her platinum hair spilling across the pillow like a silvery waterfall. In the low light, I could see every gorgeous inch of her back. Her skin was like pale silk, and I watched her shoulders rise and fall softly as she breathed.

She rarely slept on her front, but some nights, especially the warm one's like this, she preferred to sleep that way. When I had asked her about it, she had grumbled something about keeping at least some of her dignity. I'd laughed at that, and even though she had tried to glare, she lost the battle and ended up laughing with me. I loved it when she laughed. There were two types of laughs with Evangeline too, the eye roll followed by the fake laugh that could turn into a real one with just the right amount of coercion, and then there was her real laugh, the one where she threw her head back and eventually laughed so hard that no sound came out. Once I swore up and down that she had snorted while she was laughing, but that comment had almost gotten all the fingers on my left hand broken.

Without thinking, I reached out to a traced my knuckle down the middle of her back, following the track of her spine all the way down to the dimples at the base. She mumbled at the touch, and her eyelids flickered for a second before she opened them sleepily. She sighed and shifted until she was resting on her side, then with a sleepy hand, she pushed her hair back and grumbled, "It's still too early for me to be up. I have another two hours before I have to report in."

"Well I don't, and I wanted to say goodbye before I left." I replied as I pressed a light kiss between her brows. She huffed, but accepted the affection and then rolled onto her back and stretched. Realizing that that was all that I would probably get from her, I smiled and pushed the blankets back before climbing over her to get out of bed. She let out a hiss of fury, and pushed me off of her, when I purposefully put all my weight on her.

"Honestly Shade, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were five years old." She growled as I finally rolled off of her and stood up. I threw her a wink over my shoulder and bent down to gather my pants and shirt off the floor. She seemed to be in one of her moods today, and although they had been getting a little more common, I didn't think much of it. Sometimes, Evangeline just couldn't hold back her biting tone, and other times she just glowered, but she at least realed it in a little better lately. She was silent behind me as I dressed, and when I glanced over my shoulder at her to see what she was doing, I saw her glaring up at the ceiling.

"Something wrong Eve?" I asked as I turned to her and reached out to run my fingers through her hair. She shook her head, and then sat up suddenly as if she had remembered something, and asked softly, "Do you think I've been acting strange lately?"

"How so? You do a lot of strange things." I said with a smirk, hoping to lighten her mood. Normally, a comment like that would work, and she would roll her eyes and send something biting back my way. This time though, her lips drew into a tight line and she glanced down at the sheets that she had gathered up to her chest. Normally she didn't do that, and couldn't have cared less about what I saw, but now she hugged them close, as if she were nervous about something.

"I feel like… like something's wrong. I don't feel well and… this sounds stupid… but I feel just… different" She stumbled over her words, and even though I heard exactly what she was saying, and I had an idea of what she was talking about, I felt as if there was something underneath, something that she was uncomfortable with mentioning. When I didn't respond for a few seconds though, she waved me off and said, "Never mind, it's probably nothing."

She sank back down onto the bed, and I glanced down at her for a moment, worried that something was wrong and she was just trying to avoid it. Evangeline did that sometimes, and often when she pushed her problems down below the surface, they bubbled up and snapped at her when she least expected it. Even then she would manage to corral them into the box in the back of her mind, and tame them. She didn't have to do that anymore, I had whispered to her underneath thin sheets and on dark nights that she could tell me anything, anything at all, and I would listen. I had poured things out to her already in moments of weakness, when her skin was flushed against mine, and her eyes were half closed with sleep. I'd told her about my home, about being sent away from my family, about missing them desperately, about flashes of light and the crack of a gun as it fired next to you when you were too afraid to fire yourself, and the crack of whip against your back because you didn't take the shot. In turn she had pressed angel soft kisses against my cheeks, and held me close, whispering that she was sorry, that everything was going to be okay.

Seeing that she wasn't going to say anything else again, I bent over and pressed a light kiss between her eyebrows. She lifted her chin slightly, and pressed a light kiss against my lips, and inhaling, she breathed softly, "Be safe, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Always Blondie, and stay out of trouble, you and Farley better not go in guns ablazing again. I'd rather not hear that my girlfriend had to be scraped off the walls of some random base because she didn't have cover fire." I said with a smile as I tapped her nose and straightened up. She laughed and then rolled over to snuggle into her blankets again.

I watched her for a moment, wondering if I should question her more on her strange mood, but in the end, I turned away and grabbed my bag by the door. Evangeline, contrary to most women that I had met, did not like to be coddled, unless she initiated. Any other time, it was unacceptable and she would make it known very quickly that it was not acceptable. I worried though, because although she scared the living daylights out of me sometimes when we had our arguments, I was more afraid of losing her, more afraid of her leaving, more afraid of her slipping into a hole that she would never get out of. I always found that funny about love too. You were more afraid to lose the person and see them hurt, than you were to make them angry.

I stepped out into the hallway, and immediately into the group that was heading out for the morning watch. Even though the population in the compound had been reduced to almost half of it's original size, it was still sometimes impossible to make it through the hallways or even across the main bridges without being jostled around. But at the same time, it made for more open quarters, which Farley had started filling at an exponential rate. Although we had been successful for the most part, Hector's group had pulled support out of our hands more times than we could count. People loved his spirit and his attention to warcraft, and we had heard about a few of his successes up in the North. As of the past few weeks though, he had been quiet, and something about that was unsettling.

Ducking out of the mass of people, I crossed into the main hangar, and paced down the long tunnel before coming out into the light. The massive doors had been opened and the airship was waiting for flight. Near the ramp, Torin and a young boy, ironically from the Stilts, were lifting cargo into the hold. Mare stood next to the younger boy, who was slowly levitating the boxes, while Torin and Oscar lifted with their hands. The spectacle had become commonplace, and the more Newbloods Mare and Cal brought in, the more they were missing from meals. They spent hours training the members of their Legion, and recently, had moved out of the original Legion quarters to make more room. It had almost benefited Evangeline too, who had mysteriously moved her things from her room into mine to take up residence there.

Although the two of us had determined what was between us, we were at a complete stalemate as to whether or not we should announce it. A few people had some ideas though, and we were both grateful that they kept their opinions to themselves.

As I approached the ship, Maggie's head swiveled toward me from her perch on top of one of the crates, and her face lit up in a smile as she announced, "Shade's here!"

I smiled at her as she offered me a hand for a high-five and I returned the gesture. Although she was healthy, the medics had deemed it best if she stay behind from this mission and rest a little more. But, being the eight year old she was now, she was restless, and she wanted to go out and help. Mare had told her that she was helping, by showing the other Newbloods around and keeping them company while they were gone. Being one of the youngest in the group though, no one really took Maggie seriously until she showed them her ability during training. She was a myth now, the same as Mare and Cal. Her pseudonym was murmured in taverns, and people had come to know of her as the Little Whisperer. She was known as the little girl that had stopped the late Queen dead in her tracks, and for some reason that made people only more afraid of her. If they knew her though, they would be put off. Maggie was perhaps the least threatening of all of us, which seemed ironic considering her ability. When I had asked Mare about it though, my sister had sighed heavily and with a sad gaze in Maggie's direction, she had told me that the girl was more afraid of herself than other people were of her. Her ability was like a snake in the grass, and sometimes she didn't know where it was, or how she was even going to control it. She was getting better though. She didn't invade people's thoughts as much, and the strange prophecy like moments that she had once gotten on almost a daily basis had faded away. Cal said it had something to do with maturity, and her ability settling. But as far as I was concerned, he was just as confused and at a loss as everyone else.

The crate Maggie was on wobbled into the air, and she laughed as she cheered the new recruit on. As he walked past Mare with the last of the cargo, I shifted my bag and glanced at my sister who seemed to be doing a lot better these days. She wasn't as sullen anymore, and I had a feeling that had to do with the fact that she was getting more to eat. I didn't want to admit that it was probably because she and Cal were sleeping together again.

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and then asked with a coy smile, "You didn't meet me for breakfast this morning, did you have another late night?"

"Ask me that question one more time and you will get a very different answer." I huffed, which only drew a smile from her. It was a weak one, filled with exhaustion, but a smile nonetheless. She swept her braid over her shoulder, and then setting her hands on her hips, she gave me a condescending look that mocked our mother and said, "Do I have remind you how dangerous young women are Shade?"

"Do I have to remind you that I'm on a very short fuse today?" I replied with irritated sniff. She laughed at that, and then punched me twice in the arm, before saluting as she spun on her heel to follow the last crate up the ramp. I sighed heavily as I followed her, deciding that I needed to take a nap on the way to our destination. I was not going to be able to put up with all of them for a week if I was constantly fighting back exhaustion.

(/Mare/)

The estate we were sneaking through was empty and dark, except for the rays of moonlight that broke through the thin window slits as we stalked down deserted hallways. Behind us, the young Newblood woman, Aerie, who we have picked up a few days ago forced our footsteps to silence. Her ability ranged from silencing physical sound, to silencing us. It had been a bit of a shock when Cal had gone to fight one of the guards keeping her in the cell, and he couldn't so much as produce a candle flame. Afterward, we'd learned that she had been trying to silence the guard unsuccessfully for a few weeks. Now though, she was providing us with some much needed stealth. The Newblood we were coming to rescue now was Tanner, a young boy, whose mother was a servant in the home. He stayed with her during spring nights when his aunt couldn't watch him, and with the help of his aunt, we had been able to locate him.

Ahead of me, Cal held his hand out, balancing a tiny flame in his palm that lit the way as we went. He had recovered spectacularly from his illness, although there were still signs of it's effects, namely how tight he pulled his belt and how loose his clothing looked. Before we had left, the medics had instructed that he couldn't leave unless he achieved the specific weight they had set for him. He'd been a full pound off the night before the mission, and in response, my mother did the one thing she knew how to do, and that was fed a hungry young man. He'd weighed in, and the medics had cleared him. After we had returned to barracks though, he'd lost all the contents in his stomach. He'd laughed it off, saying he hadn't eaten that much in years, and although I had laughed along with him, I had felt the bottoms of his ribs against my back that night when I'd finally crawled into bed with him. Without meaning to, I'd rolled over and hugged him tighter, and with a whisper pleaded with him to eat more. He'd mumbled a sleepy agreement, but the next morning, I had kept him to his word. Of course, he'd thrown me a dirty look, saying he could take care of himself, but I'd glared back, and in response, he'd softened and taken half of my share.

Behind me, Shade nudged me with the tip of his gun, and I glanced at him in curiosity, before he jerked his head to the side, silently telling me that he was breaking off. I opened my mouth to hiss at him to stay with us, but no sound came out. I cursed Aerie for a moment, and then shook my head furiously at Shade. He'd missed the gesture though, and had already peeled off. He ducked down another hallway that lead up instead of down, and I almost ripped my hair out. We had a plan, and he was throwing it to the wind on a whim!

In my distraction, I didn't notice that Cal had stopped, and I rammed into him from behind. He gasped in surprise, although no sound came out, and then looked down at me before noticing that Shade was not following me. His lips twisted into a grimace, but he shook his head, and then extinguished the fire in his hand. The darkness was complete without his flame, except for the moonlight that landed in dappled pools around us. My breath came out in a soft puff of air, and behind me, Aerie shivered before whispering, "Surely the Silver's have enough to keep this place a little warmer?"

Cal shook his head softly as he lifted a tapestry aside and ran his fingertips along the wall. He glanced back at her and when he spoke his breath came out in a larger puff of smoke than either of ours. "This is a summer home, they wouldn't waste the resources."

Aerie frowned at the comment, but didn't say anything in response. It was strange to have people around who didn't take Cal's knowledge of the Silver's into stride. As far as she was concerned, he was a palace brat that had decided he was bored enough to help us. I wished that she knew how much he had done, what he had lost, and what he could never have back.

"Do we know who's home this is?" I asked stupidly, trying to make small talk while I watched Cal pace along the wall, obviously looking for one of his secret doors. He gave me a knowing grin and said, "Samos, why do you think Shade took off so quick?"

"He better not do something stupid." I replied with a huff. I loved my brother, but his relationship with Evangeline was enough to make me nervous. She made him reckless, and he was obviously running off to find something of hers to bring back so that he could surprise her with it. She'd been acting strange lately, sort of melancholy and quiet, which was probably his reasoning for bringing her something from her old life. He figured it would cheer her up. A part of me supposed that it would, and that part silently jeered at me for never thinking about that for Cal, while the other part hissed in irritation and told me to scold him for his action.

Cal shrugged at my comment and then finally managed to locate the door. He pushed the stone in, and the door creaked on its hinges as it opened, revealing a dark passageway. Aerie's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden appearance of a hallway, and Cal held out his hand to light another flame to dispel the darkness. I slipped in ahead of him, and he chuckled at the action, before bowing out of the way for Aerie. She ducked under his gaze, and then pressed herself up against the wall to get as far away from him and his flame as possible. Cal then stepped in and closed the door, sealing us inside of the old stone passages way that smelled oddly appealing, and like asphalt after a storm.

The soft breeze from outside chased us down the passage as we went, but it didn't so much as chill me. I walked next to Cal on purpose, not just to absorb the warmth that rolled off of him, but also to talk with him in quiet whispers about something else we were planning. He'd spoken to me about possibly going down to the estate that Julian was tucked away at. He'd told me where it was, and shown me a map of it too. Just in case, he'd said with a worried smile as he'd moved some of my hairs behind my ear. Now though, we quietly discussed how we were going to tell Farley about it, so that she didn't immediately leap at the opportunity for another base of operations. We had both agreed to keep Julian out of the throngs of the war as long as possible. He wouldn't like being sidelined, but he was going to have to deal with it.

At the end of another passage, Cal lifted his hand higher to show a set of stairs descending towards the kitchens where the spring staff stayed during their time. They would remain at the house to keep it in good order, and during the summer, they would be joined by a whole host of servants and would move into the servants' quarters on the edge of the property. For now, we were grateful that they were here though. It was much easier to break into a kitchen than it was to get through a whole group of guards patrolling the entire property.

The stairs led down into the darkness, and as we walked, it got slightly colder. I shivered, and then slowed my pace ahead of Cal so that some of his warmth caught up to me. He chuckled behind me and then leaned forward to whisper, "Afraid of the dark?"

"No, I'm afraid that I'm going to run into a wall, or trip down these stupid things." I grumbled the lie, knowing full well that he knew the truth. His hand brushing across my lower back told me that, and I grinned at the prospect of getting back to the compound and curling up in our sleeping mat. Nothing too serious, or really, serious at all, just his arms around me, hugging me close while he hummed an old Silver lullaby.

Eventually, the stairs ended, and Cal slipped around me, his hand gently guiding me out of the way so that he could try and locate the frame of the door. It wasn't too hard though, the thing had a pot and kettle painted on it in a sloppy job that said someone had been frustrated with never being able to find it. With a nudge, Cal pushed the door open and revealed a kitchen, as well as a group of Reds around a small fire, laughing and talking.

The minute the door opened, the flipped around to look at us in surprise. Among them were young women, men, and a two children. My eyes landed on him though, on Tanner, a boy no older than eight, with a mop of dark hair and hazel eyes that widened to the size of moons when he saw who it was. The circle immediately stood in our presence, and I tensed at the sign of either respect, or possibly agitation. We weren't exactly the most liked people in the country, that was for sure, but my track record with rescuing Newbloods had begun to proceed me. People knew why I came, and they knew what I was trying to do. I hoped this was one of the times that they were understanding.

"Please," Cal said next to me as extinguished his flame, "sit. We just need to speak with Eliza."

All eyes turned to a middle aged woman who reached out immediately and pulled Tanner closer to her. I clenched my fist tightly at my side, this was going to be a hard one. No doubt about it, judging by the way she glared at us and hugged her son to her side. It was always hard with the children. Not that I would really know, Maggie had practically invited herself into my life. Mother's loved their children though, and it was obvious that Eliza was not going to let go of Tanner without a very good reason.

I slowly stepped into the light of the fire, making sure to appear as neutral as possible. I wanted her to think that I was her equal, and not a recruiter. That was what I was though, and I knew it. All of Norta knew that when I knocked on their door in the middle of the night, it was because someone in their family was about to be asked a very hard question. I didn't like asking that question either, but I had to, these people needed to know who they were.

"Hello Eliza, my name is Mare Barrow." I spoke softly, having whittled down my gruff tone after four recruiting trips already. The woman didn't seem the least bit impressed with my introduction though, in fact, she looked almost offended by it. Her lips curled up in the slightest of sneers as she whispered, "I know who you are, and I know why you're here."

My stomach turned slightly at the ice in her tone, and as my eyes glanced around me at the group of servants around her, I saw that they seemed to hold the same opinion of me. Behind me Aerie bumped into a set of pans, shattering the silence and drawing all of their eyes. Eliza's never left mine though, and they seemed to flicker with a rage so deep it was almost infused with her soul.

"Then you know that I mean no harm, and that I'm here to offer you a choice, a choice for Tanner." I replied, even though I knew at this point it was futile. She was not going to let me leave this place with her son, she would probably even go as far as to spit on me right now. In fact, it looked like she wanted to for a moment. Her lips drew into a tight line and she turned Tanner's face away so that it was buried in her shoulder.

"It's never a choice with you Miss Barrow. You think you can just take children, that it is a right you have. You're wrong, you take these babies like they belong to your private little army. Tanner won't belong to you though, he's staying here with me. Until the Rising Sun comes to rescue us, like they promised."

My stomach turned at the name of Hector's group, and I felt the temperature in the room increase as Cal realized what that comment meant as well. I didn't care that she had practically insulted me, I cared that somehow Hector had been able to access enough records that he could find the Newbloods as well. People had been flocking to him, to his campaign, and it was getting harder to recruit. Even the people we had delivered medicine too, had taken the gift and then spit in our faces, saying we were harboring Silver monsters. Eliza had been poisoned by Hector's lies, and now, there was no changing her mind. I still wanted to try though, to prove a point, to maybe save her and her son while I still could.

"Hector wants Tanner as a weapon, Eliza. I'm offering for him to come with us, for him to train and learn to control the gift he's been given, not to fight a man's war as a child. He would be safe." I supplied carefully as I reached into the breast pocket of my jacket. Slowly I unfolded the now fading picture of Phoenix Legion, the only memoir I had of us from the beginning. I slowly turned it out to show her, so she could see Maggie, and Isabella with little baby Gabrielle. If the picture had any effect, Eliza didn't show it, instead she pulled back and glared at me further. I froze in surprise at the fury in her eyes as she hissed, "They're not safe, not with you, never with you. Do you know what they call you now Miss Barrow? They call you the Black Woman. The woman who goes into homes and brings death with her. How dare you claim that you can protect my son better than me."

Tanner turned his face at that, his hazel brown eyes watching me curiously. He looked at the picture and then reached out for it, as he wanted to touch it. Eliza pulled him back though, trying to keep him close. His lips puckered in distaste though, and he suddenly disappeared from her grip, eliciting a squeak of panic from his mother. I smiled though, and with careful eyes glanced around the room. Tanner popped back into existence on the other side of Cal, looking incredibly confused and obviously uncertain of why he was there and not in front of me. He glanced up at Cal, and then with wide eyes glanced at the bright red cloth Cal had tied around his belt. It was meant to be his mask, but he had taken it off as soon as we had entered the safety of the palace, citing that with it on, he looked a lot more imposing than he actually was.

I glanced back at Eliza then and said, "He has the same gift as my brother. He won't be able to control it unless he's trained, and something like that could have at any moment. If he does it in front of the wrong people Eliza, he could be-"

There was a crash above our heads, and everyone looked up at the wooden floorboards above our heads in surprise. A few seconds later, Shade appeared near the door, his back to it, as if he were trying to keep it closed. He looked at me with panicked eyes and then said, "We have to go… now. The Silvers are here, someone tipped them off."

I flipped around in horror when I heard another crash and the shouts of what was obviously a small part of a legion above my head. Tanner had sprinted across the room after the first sound and was now tucked in his mother's arms again. The Reds let out cries of panic at the sound of boots on the stairs, and tried to scramble and hide. I shoved my way through them to get to Shade, with Cal not far behind. My brother looked to be unharmed, but his eyes were narrowed in determination as he glanced over his shoulder and through the tiny glass window built into the kitchen door.

As soon as I had reached him, I slipped my knife out of its holster, deciding that that was probably safer than trying to fire a gun in a room of terrified Reds. "How? We covered our tracks!" I shouted in fury as I recalled all the trouble we had gone through, paying off the city guards, printing fake identification passes, and stealing red bracelets to get us into the city in the first place. We had taken every precaution, there was no reason that we should have been caught now. Someone outside of our group must have spilled something, but there was so few files for this mission in command's folders. There was no way that anyone below command had known about it.

The shouts of the Silvers could finally be discerned outside of the door and Shade braced himself against it completely, hissing, "I don't know how, they're here though, and they're looking for the boy and us."

I glanced over my shoulder then at Eliza and Tanner who were huddled in the corner with the other Reds. We couldn't leave them, not like this. They would be slaughtered as conspiracist, and allies of the Guard. I set my jaw tightly, deciding that we would need to stay and fight, we had brought them into this mess, and we would have to get them out of it. Cal seemed to see the look on my face though, because he grabbed my arm tightly in his grip and with a firm tone that he only used when he knew I might disagree with him, he said, "Shade's right Mare, we need to go, it's just the four of us in here against a whole Legion. We need to alert Torin and Chelsea at the gate."

If they haven't already been caught, I thought morbidly. In my panic over getting Tanner out, I had forgotten about Torin and Chelsea who were standing watch outside. Without a doubt they would be shoulder deep in Silver soldiers, trying to fight them back and escape. They wouldn't leave their posts though, they were too loyal to Cal and me now, and they would die fighting off the Silvers. If Maven knew that I was here, he would have sent Shadow Legion, along with Ptolemus, and they would be swarming the entire estate to try and fence us in so that we had no choice but to surrender. Without a doubt, Maven would want me and Cal alive, to torture us as his little psychotic mind saw fit.

The door banged on it's hinged as Shade was thrown to the floor in front of me. He scrambled to his feet, and the three of us backed away from the door as it was practically blown off it's hinges by an Oblivion. The splinters rained into the room, and the Reds screamed as they tried to scramble for the secret door. The Silver's came though there though as well, pouring into the tiny space like shadows. Cal spun to put his back to me, and Shade did the same, the three of us making a small triangle to try and cover each other's backs. For the moment, the Silvers looked us up and down, and then slowly their leader stepped through the throng. A man dressed in dark crimson, he wore the colors of a House I had never seen. He looked at the three of us, and then with a cruel smile, he said, "Mare Barrow, Tiberias Calore, and Shade Barrow, by order of the King of Norta, you are under arrest. Surrender, and your lives will be spared, refuse arrest, and you will be killed on the spot."

With a sneer, I lifted up my fists and then growled, "Somehow, I don't think that we're going to live, whether we come quietly or not." I shifted my foot closer to the fire next to me, where the flames were being held in a metal frame to keep them off of the dirt floor. Cal followed my movement out of the corner of his eye, and then glanced at me before nodding. He had caught my train of thought, and sure enough, I could feel his hand on my back, ready to grab me by the back of my shirt and throw me out of the way. Shade saw both of us move, and then smiled mischievously as he realized that we would be fighting our way out of here.

The Silver only smiled darkly though and said, "Perhaps the King will spare you lives long enough for you to say your goodbyes, I will not be as merciful though."

"Neither will we." I screamed as I hooked my foot around the small metal post keeping the frame up. It sailed through the air with the force I put behind my kick and knocked one of the Silver guards down. He crumpled to the floor in surprise, and in everyone's moment of hesitation, and in the second it took for the frame to shatter and spill hot coals all over the floor, Cal had ducked to spin me over his back and sweep his hand across the floor. He created a small wall of fire that leaped to life between the Silvers, forcing them to scatter into the groups. As soon as my feet had landed on the dirt floor, I had lit my hands with electricity, feeling the sparks rise as they were finally let loose. I leaped at the closest silver, using my small height to my advantage, and sliced at his hip with my knife. He howled, and I ducked as he swung a fist in my direction, turning my spring into a tuck and roll. I came up in a low crouch, one hand cradling a ball of lightning, and the other clutching my now stained knife. Five of the Silvers came for me then, along with their companion, and I smiled as I rose to the challenge. The first to fight me morphed the bands on his wrists into spinning knives. He drove the first one at my head, and I blocked his advance before driving my ball of lightning into his chest. He was thrown backwards, and slammed into the man Shade was fighting. My brother immediately disappeared and then reappeared behind the next man, who swung around in surprise only to be kneed in the middle and then flipped over Shade's knee.

One of my attackers behind me, snapped at my back and I cried out as I collapsed to my hands and knees. Thousands of hours training with Cal kicked in though, and I forced myself to tuck and roll away from my attacker. I was surrounded though, and I came up from my roll only to have to face another Silver who sneered at me and swung his arm in a sweeping motion that brought the water from the pot near me across my face in a lightning quick strike that stunned me. I forced myself to move with the flow of the water though, before spinning on my heel and driving my foot into the nymphs shoulder, throwing his next attack off. I finished my kick, and then spun my knife into a backhand grip before driving it into the side of his neck. He died choking on his own blood, and I yanked my blade out before kicking his body toward the next Silver coming my way. The next one was a Silk though, who easily avoided the obstacle and then started into a series of quick punches and blocks. I tried my best to keep up, but ended up falling behind and taking a punch across the cheek. I stumbled back and blindly brought my hands up, lighting the space with electricity that fried the man. He collapsed to the floor in a charred chunk, and I tried to slow my heavy breathing. My body was starting to shake with fatigue, and I glanced over to see Cal practically surrounded. He had caught a rhythm though, like he had in the Bowl of Bones. Contrary to what people would think too, Cal was a very graceful fighter. His size was mistaken for straight brutality, but he was never like that. He fought like a person half his size, who would have been much nimbler.

I went to take step towards him, to help him, only to hear a little girl's scream. My head spun to see the Oblivion from earlier advancing on the young Red girl, his hands open to touch her and explode her into small pieces of human. I let out a cry, and then started across the space. He reached for the girl, and I reached out and set my hand on his shoulder. He only had enough time to notice that it was me, after that, he was could only convulse as I fried every nerve in his body. I eventually let go of him, and left him to flail on the floor like a dying fish. The girl was crying as she looked up at me, covered in Silver blood, and flushed with power. I realized in that moment that I must look terrifying to her. So I used that to my advantage and ordered, "Run, get everyone to run."

With a choking sob, she sprinted by me and through the crowd to find her parents. Shade suddenly appeared next to me and then hissed, "We need to go now, Cal's not going to be able to hold out much longer, and Aerie is running on fumes. We can't do anymore, Mare."

I let out a hissing breath through my teeth, and then turned to find Eliza in the crowd, I wouldn't leave without Tanner. The last person who I would let see that child would be Hector, I wouldn't let that snake get his slimy fingers on that innocent boy. I glanced at Shade and then said, "Find Tanner, we can't leave without him."

Shade nodded and then disappeared from next to me. I turned my attention to Cal then, who was slowly starting to fade. He was exhausted that much was obvious, and I set my jaw as I started toward the circle of Silvers. A few broke away when they had seen me, and as I stepped over a dead Silver, I let my sparks rise up, and engulf my hands and arms. They would have to fight a bolt of lightning before they could actually touch me. The first to attack was foolish enough to try and do it without properly assessing the situation. I sneered as he came at me, and then turned one of my sparks into a beautiful whip of light. It snapped out and caught the man across the chest. He howled in agony as he was thrown to the side. The others were a little slower, but they noticed that I was tired, that my arms were shaking and that I was breathing heavy. I wouldn't be able to fight four of them at once, so I leaped up onto the counter next to me.

They went to circle the counter, only for me to use the metal framework as a staging grounds for a wall of electricity. It had taken more practice than I cared to admit to learn to create a forcefield of my own. It was a draining practice though, and it drained me of my powers faster than anything else I could do. It could buy me a few seconds though to come up with a plan. I glanced around in panic, trying to come up with an escape from the corner I had put myself in. One of the Silvers leaped, and I was forced to push my wavering shield outward so that they all took a hesitant step back. I noticed that my spectacle had pulled a few more Silvers off of Cal. He finished off the man he was fighting, throwing a young man to the floor in a backbreaking landing. His eyes met my own, and I swallowed around the thick knife in my throat. I had put myself in this position to get out of one, per the usual with me. As the Silvers tried to find a way in through my shield though, Cal began to pick them off along the outside.

I let out a cry of exhaustion though and then dropped the shield. Immediately I was assaulted from right by shards of ice that must have come from a Shiver. I screamed in pain, as the shards cut at my hands and shoulders. I collapsed to my hands as knees as my tired legs gave out underneath me. My body was shaking, and my vision was spinning as I tried to fight through the weakness. I had been here before though, in the Bowl of Bones, but there was no storm to call on, and I couldn't make one now, even if I wanted to.

There were cries of agony, and when I looked up, I saw dark smoke as Cal burned every person between me and him. I closed my eyes against the burning air, and tried to take deep breaths to slow my racing heart. Another Silver grabbed me though, and threw a net over top of me. I screamed as I tried to electrocute him, but I felt the nauseating weight of Silent Stone. As I tried to rip my way out of the net, I realized why I felt the wicked stone, the net had been tied together with balls of silent stone in the corners. I was trapped, and there was no getting out.  
I tried to brandish my knife, but another net was thrown on top of me, and I was dragged off of the counter I had fallen on. Against my better judgement, considering the fact that he was probably busy enough as it was, I screamed for Cal. The Silvers that had managed to catch me shouted to each other and started to drag me out of the kitchen. I kicked against them, screaming for Cal and trying not to cry in fear. I would not go back to Archeon, and I would not face Maven. I grabbed at the netting and tried to tear it with my bare hands, since I had lost my knife while trying to cut my way through the netting in the first place.

One of the guards dragging me stumbled and lost his hold, and through the netting, I saw him collapse next to me in a pool of blood with my knife hilt sticking out of the back of his head. I knew any sane person would have screamed, but all I could do was try desperately to fight the last one. I was dropped though and I cried out in pain as I hit the floor at a bad angle. As I tried to right myself, the smell of smoke and burning flesh assaulted my nose, and I choked as I closed my eyes and tried desperately to get out of the netting.

Two hands grabbed mine though, and over the pound of my pulse in my ears, I heard Cal shouting at me to sit still. He cut the netting away with what I assumed was my knife, and then reached into it and pulled me out. I threw my arms around his neck, and squeezed my eyes shut as tears rolled out because of the smoke in the air. He clung to me too though, and upon feeling my tears on my neck, he began feverishly demanding to know if I was hurt.

There were shouts on the stairs though, and I looked over his shoulder to see the shadows of more Silver. He followed my eyes and then asked quietly, "Can you run?"

I nodded, and he helped me to my feet before guiding me through the smoke toward the door we had come through. As soon as we were through it, he pushed it closed and then with frantic hands, burned the edges closed. I leaned against the wall behind him, waiting for my head to clear. When he turned, everything was in slow motion, and I couldn't hear him shouting at me. I could see his mouth moving, and him reaching for my hand, but when he stepped into focus again, I saw that his eyes were bright icy blue, a blue that had haunted my nightmares. Slowly Maven came into focus in front of me and my heart leaped up into my throat. I backed up away from him then, my eyes wide in surprise and horror as I realized that I was trapped inside of a hallway with the man who wanted to kill me.

Before I could begin to register what was happening though, Maven's edges had blurred, and suddenly I was seeing Cal again, shouting and clutching my shoulders as he shook me. I blinked to try and clear my head, but it felt like someone had pulled a blanket over my mind and everything had gone fuzzy. I couldn't move, couldn't scream, couldn't do anything but stare. I registered something at the back of my mind, poking around and digging, like a bird pecking at seeds, but the moment the feeling had come it was gone.

I opened my eyes in surprise, and found that Cal was carrying me, running me through the passages at what could have been breakneck pace. When he stopped at one of the turns, I slid out of his arms, and he shouted my name as I grabbed at the wall to pull myself back up. My head was clearing up finally, and I with a shiver I realized that what had happened had been a hallucination, some form of mental manipulation-

My stomach turned and I whispered, "There's a whisperer here."

Cal's eyes widened, and he grabbed my hand and growled, "Then we have to go, now more than ever." He started down the hallway, with me following at his heels.

Eventually he let go of my hand so that he could light his other one with fire to lead us. I sprinted behind him, just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other to keep up with him. Who was the Whisperer that was here? There were obviously other members of the Merandus family, but I had never met any of them, and as far as I knew, Elara was the most powerful of them.

Cal lead my up the stairs, and then opened the door we had come through, and we stepped into the hallway. Shade appeared then, his face pale in the fading moonlight. He looked me over and then said, "They're everywhere, but I got Tanner out. Torin's hurt pretty bad though, a Shiver got a hold of him from behind, and Chelsea is getting him out of the city as we speak."

I nodded weakly and then almost collapsed forward again when I felt the fingers on the edge of my mind again. Cal caught me, and scooping me up into his arms again, he told Shade to jump. Shade reached out and grabbed Cal's arm. As we went to jump though, I looked over Cal's shoulder and saw the source of my weakness, the Whisperer.

He was running down the hallway toward us, as if he would be able to catch us. He had the same icy eyes as Maven, and the same as Elara. He had the same feral catlike look, with narrowed eyes and a sneer that looked wicked in the low light. He was tall, with blond hair that was starting to grey a little near his temples. His eyes met mine, and my eyes widened as I realized who he was. I had seen him before. He was the Whisperer that I had watched almost kill a Strongarm on Feats of First Friday, almost two years ago.

"Samson," I whispered his name as Shade pulled us along for a jump. But even as we disappeared, I could still feel Samson's eyes on me, like a brand. Those icy blue irises burrowing down into my very soul, just like Elara's and Maven's had.

(/)

We were flying back by the early hours of the morning, with me curled up in the copilots seat next to Cal. It was a very quiet flight back, with Tanner sleeping in the seat next to Aerie, and Shade checking on Torin who was in pretty bad shape. The Shiver had frozen his right shoulder, and then broken the bone completely while it was frozen. His right collarbone was shattered, and his shoulder socket was in the same state. He hadn't cried yet though, which might have had something to do with a very exhausted Chelsea sitting near his head, keeping him buried in happy, mind numbing illusions to keep his mind off of the pain.

We were all beat up in someway, even Shade who hadn't sustained anything too severe, had been hit over the back of the head with a wooden plank when he been fighting in the kitchen. Cal had a laceration up near his forehead, but had refused to be cared for until we were flying and in safe airspace. Which could have been now, if he would just let me clean it. Tanner had been deathly quiet, and after he had fallen asleep, Shade had told me that his mother had been killed and he had been wandering around the passages trying to find his way out.

Slowly, I pulled my knees up to my chest to shift my position, and watched the sun rise on the horizon outside the window behind Cal. For a moment, I could believe that we were just flying back from a long night somewhere else. Cal turned to look at me, and then whispered softly, "Are you alright?"

I shook my head and then replied carefully, "I almost got us killed."

"Mare," he began softly, but I glared at him, and he fell to silence. I glanced over my shoulder at Tanner who was still fast asleep with his mouth open and his head resting in Aerie's lap. The young woman was sleeping as well, and on the floor near them, Chelsea was starting to nod off, her head falling forward before she snapped it back up. As if he could sense my eyes, Shade looked up and then nodded before whispering something to Chelsea and getting up. He entered the cockpit, and then softly closed the door behind him. As soon as the door was locked, he looked at me and then said, "I should have told you that I heard Samson and Ptolemus. That was how I knew they were there."

Cal put the airship on autopilot and then spun in his chair to face Shade. Slowly he leaned his forearms on his knees and with tired hands he massaged his face and asked, "Did they say how they knew we were there?"

Shade shook his head, and then leaning against the door he replied tenuously, "They only said that they wanted Mare, Tanner, and Aerie alive. Samson mentioned something about a serum, and a testing facility too. I had no idea what they were talking about. Before I could hear anything else, I got caught."

Cal looked up then, and then glanced at me, his eyes catching the cut above my eye where the silent stone in the net had cut me. I closed my eyes then, feeling the exhaustion, and trying to push it back. Cal would have to be awake for a few hours longer to fly the ship, and I would need to be awake with him. It was what we had always done. When I opened my eyes again, I whispered, "Those soldiers weren't wearing Shadow Legion patches, and those uniforms… those weren't regular issue Sentinel or Legion uniforms."

"They were like army uniforms." Cal offered softly as he scratched at a splotch of Silver blood on his pants. I felt my heart twist as he did that. He had always been so careful not to kill Silver's unless he had no choice, but this time he had killed, he had slaughtered the lot of them like cattle. I was reminded once more that Cal was a force to be reckoned with, a mighty flame that burned bright and refused to be contained. He was always so careful though, and he always managed to control it.

Still, I shivered at his response, and then glancing at Shade, I asked, "Did you get a good look at Samson?"

He shook his head, and then massaging the bridge of his nose, he replied softly, "Command doesn't have anything on him either. No aliases, nothing. I'd never even heard of the guy until you told us you saw him an hour ago."

Cal steepled his fingers in front of his lips and then said quietly, "You wouldn't have. He's Elara's brother, and he spent most of his time in Peidmont. It was assumed that he would marry the widow Queen there, but the rumor never actually became fact. He never really came to the palace either."

I swallowed heavily and then whispered, "He was in the Stilts on the Feats of First Friday."

"He came to Summerton for the Queenstrial. I remember because I had to write his invitation by hand." Cal sniffed in annoyance, before sitting back and gingerly touching the wound near his hairline. He winced and then pulled his hand away to reveal silver stained fingertips. Shade snorted at Cal's comment though, and with a weak smile he teased, "You know your Highness, I'm not sure who to feel more sorry for, you, or the poor bastard that had to read that before it was sent."

I rolled my eyes, preparing for the banter to start, as I kicked my legs out and rose from my chair. It was good that they could switch to a more light hearted comments easily. My heart wouldn't let me yet though, it told me I needed to brood a little more.

Cal eyed me carefully as I approached him before tilting his head back so that I could look at the wound that he had been assessing for the past few seconds. He looked up at me with a bored expression as he replied with the same sarcastic tone, "I'll have you know that it is very hard to articulate 'I hope that this finds you dead, and that you actually cannot attend this event', without sounding like a complete asshole."

I snorted to hide my laugh and then flicked him in the side of the head. He smiled up at me anyway though, knowing that he had gotten the reaction he was searching for. His eyes shone as he did that, and I found myself smiling anyway as well as I drowned in the depths of his irises.

Shade coughed to get our attention, and I glanced up to grumble in annoyance, "We put up with you and Evangeline giving each other very obvious looks during meetings and every hour of the day, you can put up with us for a few seconds."

He huffed in annoyance, and then unlocked the door, before practically ripping it off its hinges. "I'm going to get something for you to clean up that cut," he grumbled as he stormed out of the cockpit. I shook my head at his anger, knowing that it was out of embarrassment at the fact that I had even so much as acknowledged his relationship with Evangeline. The two of them had prefered to keep it quiet, but my family members knew each other well enough to know when one of our own was beginning to nest. And if anything, Shade had Evangeline had been nesting quite a bit. They thought we hadn't noticed Evangeline's things steadily disappearing from her room, and how eventually she stopped coming there at all, or that Shade was always shooting her his roguish grin in the morning, and she always turned away to hide a very obvious blush.

"Leave them be, they're happy." Cal said with a sigh, as he slowly closed his eyes. I ran my fingers through his thick hair then, parting it, before I slowly leaned down and pressed a light kiss between his brows. His lips pulled into a grin then, but he remained quiet, and I did too. There were no words to be said, we were happy too, in our own little way. Cal slowly lifted his hand until it found mine, and with precision like the mechanic he was, he threaded his fingers through mine, until our bones were almost glued together. Even though the world felt like it was falling apart around us, and everything was slowly spiralling out of control, I could always count on Cal to hold me close in the eye of the storm and keep me from being sucked into it. I bent down one more time to pressed a kiss against his lips, and with breath stolen from his lungs, I whispered, "Then I'm happy too."

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

The compound was bustling with activity when we arrived, and as I slowly brought the airship to a halt in the hanger, I glanced up to see Farley and a group of people following her. I sighed heavily, feeling the ache in my bones reach into my soul once more. My fingers went on autopilot, powering down the controls and preparing the ship for docking and refueling.

As soon as the engines had powered down completely, I rose from my chair and stretched, feeling tight muscles protest immediately. I sighed as I dropped my arms, and then slipped out of the cockpit to help gather up the gear and lower the ramp. I toggled the switch and watched as Aerie took Tanner's hand to guide him down the ramp. Mare was crouched down over Torin who was still under Chelsea's illusions. Shade had fashioned a small stretched for him so that we could carry him to the medical tent. As soon as the ramp dropped, Aerie led Tanner down to meet the Isabella who smiled and welcomed them warmly, practically doting over the two of them like a mother as she crouched down to speak with Tanner softly. Farley waited patiently at the bottom of the ramp, and I gave her a respectful nod before noticing someone I hadn't been expecting to see. Evangeline stood with a worried expression, her eyes scanning the space behind me, until they lit up with joy as someone moved behind me.

Shade appeared at my elbow and gave Farley a salute before taking a step down the ramp. Evangeline didn't even give him a chance to take another before she tore up the ramp to him and threw her arms around his neck. He swept her off her feet for a moment and spun her before setting her back on her feet. From where I was, I could see her running her fingers over his face, neck, and shoulders, while asking him if he was injured, or hurt in anyway. He laughed her worry away and then hugged her close saying that he was fine. Their exchange was sheltered from the prying eyes of the compound, but it was plain to everyone standing near or under the ramp. It brought a smile to my features though, seeing the two of them happy like that.

Maggie's blonde curls appeared behind Isabella though, and she sprinted up the ramp to me, demanding, "Where's Torin? Is he okay? Is he going to die!"

I crouched down to catch her by the shoulders and then said, "He's going to be alright Maggie, I promise. Let's just give him a little bit of space okay?"

Her lips drew into a tight line, and her expression was hesitant as her blind eyes turned to look down at Shade and Evangeline. She narrowed her eyes at them, and then shouted, "Can you two turn down the volume of your thoughts! It's hard to ignore you when you're being that loud!"

I laughed softly and then took her shoulder to guide her up the ramp to Mare and the others. Farley seemed to take the invitation as well because she followed us, her expression drawn tight as she said, "I need you all to be debriefed immediately."

Sighing at her demand, I led Maggie to Mare, who smiled upon seeing the little girl and accepted the hug Maggie gave her. She watched the exchange with soft eyes, until I set my hand on Chelsea's head to wake her and then said, "Give us some time. All of us need a good shower, and possibly sleep. Torin needs immediate medical attention, and we need to situate Aerie and Tanner into rooms."

It was a long checklist with me and Mare probably not getting to shower and sleep until the early hours of the morning. Torin would have to come first, with Tanner and Aerie coming immediately after that meeting with the medics. Only then would Mare and I be able to be debriefed in a meeting with Farley which would involve a long roundabout conversation to find out how we had been so badly compromised. After all that, we would have to make sure everyone was settled in for the night, and after that, we would be able to review the mission together, evaluate everything, and then shower. Sleep would would be a few hours after that, after we had discussed plans for the next mission and such. It was going to be another long day.

"Very well," Farley said as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her uniform and continued, "we'll reconvene in the Command Room in an hour."

I went to tell her that that was not nearly long enough, only for her to turn on her heel and leave the airship at a steady pace that suggested no room for argument. Mare watched her go, and then glancing at me tenuously she said, "Give her a break, she's just as tired as us, Cal."

I shook my head, pushing the annoyance down for now. Torin shifted on the floor and moaned as he shifted his weight onto his severely damaged shoulder. With a sigh, I ran my fingers through my hair and said, "You take Aerie and Tanner, I'll take Torin with Shade, and we'll meet in command."

She nodded and then rose, taking Maggie's hand and urging Chelsea up. The young Illusionist stumbled to her feet, and I helped right her before, giving her a weak smile and saying, "Go get something to eat Chelse, and grab a few minutes of sleep. You'll need them."

She nodded and then with heavy steps, turned and left the airship behind Mare. Even though she was taller than Mare, she still leaned against her slightly as they walked, and I was reminded of how young she was, how young we all were. It was easy to forget, and sometimes, I forgot all together how old I really was. I supposed war did that though, dragged you out of your youth kicking and screaming, until eventually the trenches you marched through were mirrored on your face, and the circles under your eyes were darker than the soot underfoot.

At my feet, Torin groaned again, drawing my attention once more. I crouched down by his head, and then setting my hand softly on his hair, I whispered, "Hang in there, we're going to get you some help."

I planned on doing that as soon as possible too. There was no way the medics would be able to help him, Torin needed the help of a skin healer or a blood healer, and I knew where I could find one. There was no way that I would be able to get him down to the estate though without asking for Farley's permission, and driving him there would take too long, and Mare would want to go with me to see Julian and to make sure that I got back in one piece. I would take her in a heartbeat too.

Shade approached slowly then, and grabbing the stretcher by Torin's feet, he nodded to make sure I was ready. We both lifted the stretcher together, and I glanced down at Torin once more to see him looking up at the area above his head with a blank stare. He was a lot stronger than anyone would ever know, and his strength seemed to be the only thing keeping him conscious right that second. I admired him for it, but at the same time, I wished that he would let sleep claim him so that he didn't have to suffer any more than he had to.

(/)

An hour later, as was scheduled, Mare sat next to me at the circular table, scratching at the edge of it with her nail, trying to pull a splinter out without getting it stuck in her finger. At the end of the table, Evangeline was perched on the edge, with her back to Farley, slowly wrapping Shade's hand which had gotten a deep cut across the palm. They had been whispering softly to each other before I had arrived and taken my seat. I had been the last to arrive, and Farley had scoffed silently at my tardiness before launching into the debriefing. Chelsea was curled up in one of the chairs on the other side of me too, trying very hard to stay awake, even though her head kept nodding forward every so often.

I watched Farley pace on the other side of the table, her eyes like balls of blue fire as she rattled off question after question, demanding to know how we had been compromised, who had access to our files, who had access to the names of the Newbloods, what Samson had said exactly, and what had Eliza mentioned about Hector specifically. None of our answers seemed good enough to satisfy her, and she seemed to grow more upset by the second, muttering about a mole that couldn't possibly exist. Eventually, the topic turned to Samson exclusively though, and she turned to me then, asking the question I had no answer for, "What do you know about him?"

Shifting in my seat to wake up, I massaged the bridge of my nose and repeated, "I told you everything I know, Diana, he's a Whisperer, and he's apparently Maven's advisor now."

She huffed at my answer and then flipped around on Evangeline who was busy coddling Shade and checking him for more injuries. She cleared her throat, and Evangeline's grey eyes snapped to meet Farley's over her shoulder, and they narrowed for a moment before she shrugged and turned back to Shade. "Samson was an enigma, he came after I left Archeon. His sister wanted him in court for some reason before she went down to Delphie. Supposedly he was banished out of Piedmont because of Lady Anabel."

"My grandmother?" I asked incredulously before raising my brow in Evangeline's direction. She nodded solemnly, as she checked on Shade's shoulder which he had been favoring a little bit. "She suspected him of trying to kill the Queen, which wouldn't have been too far of a stretch I assume."

Farley sank into a seat and then pointing to Shade, she ordered, "Everything Samson said about the serum again Barrow, for the records this time."

Shade sighed and batted away Evangeline's advances before leaning forward and saying, "It's exactly like I told Mare and Cal, he mentioned that he wanted Mare, Aerie, and Tanner alive. He said something about a serum and testing it, and wanting Ptolemus to take them to a city I'd never heard of, it sounded like he was saying Tiron, but I'm not sure. That was all there was in the conversation though."

Evangeline's lips twisted in distaste and she said, "There were rumors in the Court about Maven developing a serum of sorts, something to use against the Newbloods, but it was never more than a rumor."

My eyes flickered to Mare who seemed more interested in a loose string on the knee of her pants, then the conversation that was slowly coming into her court. She had no idea how close I had come to losing her in that kitchen, and I wondered if that was why she was acting like this. She had been in the middle of the fray before though, and we have come close to being killed on many missions. Something about the mention of a weapon against the Newbloods though seemed to make it all the more terrifying that the Legion members had almost gotten away with her. It made it almost worth it, throwing the knife to end a young man's life. At the same time though, my hands had been shaking as I'd fried the other and cut her loose. It had been a long time since I'd killed another Silver, a long time.

"That would explain the shipments that we lost track of from Archeon." Farley grumbled before writing something down in her notes. She was all business, that was for sure, but it masked her fear and panic. The scouts had come back a few weeks ago with a report that Hector's main base had been abandoned, but there had been no sign of a struggle. We had invisible enemies on both sides now, one that knew our movements because he had helped to execute them himself, and another that was now drawing closer, cutting our supply lines one by one.

Shade glanced up at Farley's words and asked, "There were shipments out of Archeon, after Evangeline and I left?"

"Almost immediately after," Farley stated matter of factly, and then glancing up from her notes she asked, "Did you two see anything that might have resembled this mysterious serum while you were in that medical compound?"

Shade shook his head, but Evangeline was gazing into the distance, as if she were in another time and place. With a frown, she looked down at the table, as if to recall something and then said, "I might have seen something, but it was at Corvium."

Everyone turned to look at her, but she waved her hand, as if to dismiss it before saying, "It was probably just another drug though, there was nothing to discern it from anything else."

We all sat back in our seats, our hearts sinking, apparently we were right back at the beginning. Mare slammed her hand on the table and then spit, "If he's developing it to kill Newbloods, then we need to get our hands on it. We need to destroy it."

Farley shifted uncomfortably and then replied softly, it the first time she had spoken that way in a long time too, "We have no idea where this Trion is Mare, and as far as we're concerned, the serum they've been working on hasn't been fully developed, or else they would have used it already."

Mare sat back in her chair, obviously upset that no one had immediately jumped in to defend her view. At the moment though, everyone was exhausted, and I was trying to find a moment to ask for permission to take Torin down to my uncle and Sara. As much as I agreed with Mare though, there was not enough man power for an operation like that at the moment. All we could hope to do was follow the shipments if they continued, and eventually get to the bottom of the mystery.

Before anyone could say anything else, someone pounded up the stairs to the command room, and stood in the doorway, bent over and heaving for breath. Farley stood up, and everyone at the table snapped to attention in surprise at the sudden appearance of a soldier. He was one of the younger ones, and he looked pale as a sheet as he choked through his panting, "One of… one of Hector's men just showed up… he's in bad shape though…"

"Who?" Mare demanded as she stood up so suddenly that her chair fell backward and slammed against the floor. Her eyes were narrowed, but I could see the fear in the way her shoulders tensed. She was afraid that it was probably Kilorn, or she was probably afraid that it wasn't Kilorn, in which case her best friend was most likely dead.

The soldier shook his head and then managed to straighten up and say, "Warren, it's Warren."

Mare was already across the room, and was taking the stairs two at a time, before the poor kid had even finished. I followed right behind, tearing after her, telling her to slow her down. She was in a panic though, and she was almost at a run. Everyone followed right behind us, and eventually we managed to catch up to her short strides, with the messanger running after us to keep up, telling us that they had taken him to medical tents because he was in such bad shape.

If anything, his words one made Mare run faster, and I picked up my pace to a jog to keep up with her. Her fist were clenched at her side, because in her terror, she had lost control over the sparks, and they were dancing along her knuckles as she sprinted through the compound. People saw her and leaped out of the way, their eyes wide as they followed our strange parade. We certainly made for a sight, with Mare leading us, and me following, shouting at her to slow down, followed by a ghost white Farley, and Shade and Evangeline who weren't sure how to feel. Kilorn had been one of the many people to verbally attack both of them on a daily basis a few months ago, and they obviously weren't entirely sure what to make of his return.

As soon as we reached the medical tent, Mare flew inside, and ducked under a nurse's arm before bursting into the back alcove. I followed right behind, with Farley was on my heels, hollering at Evangeline and Shade to take a party out and search for any more of the men that might have been with him.

It wasn't hard to find Kilorn, he was screaming in the back as one of the medics tried to reset an obviously broken leg. His face was black and blue, and his arms and legs were covered in deep lacerations that bleed rivers of red down his limbs. The nurses were trying to clean him so that they could discern the extent of the damage, but he flailed in agony every time they tried to help him.

Mare flew to his side, her hand grabbing at his and she choked through a thick through, "Kilorn, it's me, it's Mare, I'm here."

His green eyes sought her out, and with a sob he looked back to the ceiling and hollered in agony as the medic finally managed to get his knee into a splint. I frowned as I looked at his leg, which was a strange pale color of red. Slowly, I reached out and set my hand on his shin, before pulling my hand away immediately and looked at the glass like shards that had embedded into my palm. They weren't glass though, they were ice. My heart hammered in my chest, and I slowly reached down to help the medic peel away his pants. The more skin we exposed through, the worse it was. A Shiver had done a number on him, practically freezing every vein in his leg except for the major ones that kept the limb alive. The ice had broken through his skin though, and seemed to be the major cause of his pain.

Mare was whispering softly to him, cooing sweet nothings as she smoothed his hair down and tried to get his story. He was whimpering softly, shaking his head, and he could barely manage to get his words out beyond his split and swollen lip. He had been under intense torture, which was the only explanation for the state he was in. Mare was surprisingly sympathetic toward him, only to show the true extent of her fury when she spit at a nurse to get a glass of water. The poor girl sprinted off to retrieve the item, and Mare glared after her before softening her gaze and turning it back to Kilorn. He mumbled incoherently for a moment, before grabbing Mare's wrist and pulling her close to choke, "We were betrayed."

Her eyes widened in horror, and she slowly pulled away as Kilorn hissed, "Seth, he sold us out to save his own skin. Turned us all over to Samson Merandus," Kilorn's eyes widened in horror as well, as if he were back in whatever circle of hell he had crawled from before continuing in a slightly quieter voice, "They wanted to know everything, bases, names, missions, everything we knew… Hector… Hector broke in under a week… he told them about the list, about the Newbloods, how to find them, where a group with one was...he told them about the bases, about this base…to save his own skin."

"The snake," Farley snarled, but Kilorn shook his head and looking in Farley's direction, he whispered, "They killed him anyway, and they… they hung his body from the bridge… the bridge in Archeon."

Mare's breath left in a sharp exhale, before she turned to Farley and choked, "We have to evacuate, we have to evacuate everyone now."

For the first time since I had met her, Farley looked afraid. She glanced around wildly as if the solution might be sitting in front of her among the medic's tools. "There's too many, I don't even know where i'd send them."

"Send them to Tuck," I said, referring to the old abandoned base that we often used as a supply post, as I grabbed her shoulder and began to push her out of the tent, "The airships should be able to take everyone in one trip. Everyone needs to pack only what they can carry, and we need to destroy this place. Samson cannot get his hands on any of our files."

She nodded, and my composer seemed to rub off, as she straightened her shoulders and then stormed out of the tent, shouting at her men to start alerting everyone to a full scale evacuation, this was not a drill, and that everyone was to prepare for immediate departure.

I glanced back at Mare who was still sitting, clutching Kilorn's hand. We would have to stay behind and make sure everyone was out of the compound before we were. Phoenix Legion would have its first real test, in a full scale battle, with an important member out of commission. Mare met my eye over her shoulder and swallowed heavily before nodding, already understanding what would be asked of us. We would have to stand our ground and fight to make sure everyone got out safely, and even then, we might be able to get out. She rose from her spot next to Kilorn and took two quick steps toward me before wrapping her arms around my middle. I pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered into her hair, "I'll get the Legion prepared, stay here with Warren and Torin, they'll need to be the first people on those airships. When that is dealt with, come find me in our quarters. I'll pack your things."

She nodded and then glancing up at me she whispered, "What are we going to do?"

"We'll need to find some way to destroy this place," I said stiffly before turning on my heel and pulling away from her. I knew it hurt her when I did that, but I had to, I had to distance myself right now. I had to be the soldier and not the lover, she had to do the same too. If we wanted to make it out of this alive, we had to freeze our hearts to each other, and focus on the task at hand, because both of us could not be caught, no matter what.

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **Screams for all eternity, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry about how long this chapter has taken...and for how fast that ending was. I just had to get it out and on paper, so there it is. Alright so shit hit the fan everyone, we are at the pinnacle of the oh shit moment. In the next chapter, the Scarlet Guard faces its most trying time, can they survive the disaster to come? Alright, so the next chapter will probably be shorter than this but with a lot of action, get ready guys, we go to war now. (:**_

 _ **Question time:**_

 _ **What do you think's gonna happen? Will they all get away or will someone get left behind?**_


	14. Chapter 13

SatS Chapter 13

 _(/Evangeline/)_

It was the busiest I had seen the Guard in months, and honestly it was almost refreshing. I wasn't one for sitting around and twiddling my thumbs, and apparently neither was the Guard. They buzzed around like bees in a hive, creating bullets out of scrap metal, and setting traps for the Silver's that would no doubt coming sprinting through the compound like the bloodhounds they were. As much as that scared me, it set in me a steel resolve as I helped them remove the metal from many of the walls so that the rocks would form avalanches all over the compound.

At the moment, I was helping Garrett, the young medic that had sewed up my leg months ago, pack up his gear. In the past few months, he had become something that I would consider as a friend. He still blushed deeply every time I asked him a question, but he didn't stutter as much during our conversations, and he even had taken to asking his own questions. It was hard to open up to him, and the same went for everyone else, but Shade told me that the more I did it, the better I would feel. It was easy to talk to him though, to listen to his heartbeat as I laid my head on his chest and told him about the golden halls of a palace that had started to feel more and more like an ornate cage the older I got. He always understood, and that should have made me more willing to talk to him, but I couldn't. I didn't want him to know the Evangeline Samos who had stalked those halls like an overgrown vulture, stalking her prey and pinning uselessly over a onyx crown that she thought would look good only on her head.

Garrett glanced at me when I paused from my packing to look at a strange device in my hand. The Red medic's amused me with their multitude of tools that were almost useless in my eyes, but they were necessary, as I had come to see. He bent down to pick up a box, and then carrying it by me, he asked casually, "How was your last mission with Lion Squadron?"

I looked up in surprise and then shrugged as I tossed the device into another box marked for miscellaneous equipment. "I didn't go."

"What? Evangeline Samos missing a mission?" He teased with a laugh that sputtered out when he saw the glare I sent his direction. "Of course," he shifted his box and then said, "Unless you had a very good reason, which I'm sure you did… don't get me wrong."

I rolled my eyes at his nervous reaction and then bent down to gather a mass of bandages that I began to wrap methodically. As much as it was nice to talk to Garrett, since he was the only person who I could really trust to keep things in confidentiality, he could be more squirmy than a pig on slaughtering day. "I wasn't feeling well."

"Oh," Garrett said as the flap was pushed aside and Gisa Barrow strolled in. She looked at the two of us, and then gave me a suspicious glance before bending down to grab one of her own boxes. No matter how hard I tried to speak with her, the youngest Barrow refused to acknowledge me. If she knew about me and Shade seeing each other, she didn't say anything. I had a feeling she knew though. Chelsea may have been a nice girl, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut for her life, and she and Gisa gossiped like two old women.

I watched her leave and then picked up my own box and as I was leaving, I said, "The feeling passed, but Farley insisted that I stay behind. She'd rather I stayed healthy."

Garrett shrugged as he followed me out of the tent and said, "Maybe she had a point. Why didn't you come see me?"  
"Because I had it under control. It was just a little stomach bug that I had for a few hours." I snipped, at Garrett who pursed his lips at not being useful. He was a nice boy, and he obviously cared about the people in this compound, but sometimes it was excessive. No one was dying of a cough anymore, and people had recovered spectacularly thanks to his ingenious idea to mix the medication in water and then boil it in the ventilation system so that it spread like a sickly sweet smelling fog. It had cleared the virus out of the compound, but the smell had never left.

I bumped into someone as I was backing up with the box, since I was so deeply lost in my thoughts. I went to apologize only for the person to chuckle and say, "For being so sure that you have eyes in the back of your head, you run into me a lot Blondie."

Before I could protest, Shade slipped the box I was carrying out of my arms, and gave me a wink. My lips drew into a tight line at his action, and I went to tell him off, only for him to set my box on top of Garrett's. The medic grunted with the new strain, and Shade gave him a nudge to go by us before turning his gaze on me and saying, "I need to talk to you."

I tensed in surprise at his sudden comment. I hadn't done anything that would warrant us having a conversation. Was he upset about the fact that I hadn't really told him about how I was feeling the day he had left for his recruiting trip? Or was it was because I hadn't really returned his more needing advances since he had returned? I hadn't meant to be rude or snappy about it, but I had been so tired all day, and the minute he had started, what normally would have made me feel like the most blessed woman in the country, had felt impossibly wrong. I'd told him that as I had pushed his hands away, and for a moment I thought I had shoved a burning knife down his throat from the look on his face.

"About what?" I asked hesitantly, but he only smiled as he slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me along with him so that we were walking toward the center of the compound. I tried to pull away arguing, "Let go Barrow, I have things to do, and you have duties as well-"

He pulled me into a dark alcove suddenly, and placing his hands on either side of my head to keep my from escaping, he whispered softly, "I need you on the first airship out of this place."

"What?" I sputtered in surprise, taken aback by his request. I had assumed he was pulling me aside to demand an answer for something, not demand that I leave immediately. As his words sank in though, I realized what he was inferring. My lips drew in a tight line at that, and I hissed threateningly, "Are you saying you don't want me around to fight?"

He paled considerable at my dangerous tone, before setting his jaw and growling, "I want you safe, is that so bad?"

"It is if you're trying to coddle me! How dare you tell me what to do." I spit at him as I tried to duck under his arm. He teleported one step in front of me though, and forced me back a step, his hands coming to cup my cheeks desperately as he argued, "Please, Evangeline, please you have to understand. Just listen to me, we promised we would listen to each other."

"Yes, when the other person was being reasonable, and you are certainly not being reasonable, you're being completely selfish! Mare and Cal need me here, fighting and defending the base to the last man!" I shouted as I went to push him out of the way. He caught my wrists though and pulling me close he whispered down to me, "Evangeline, Samson will kill you."

"He'll kill all of us if we don't evacuate! Farley's men said that the Legion is on its way here now, we don't have time to waste arguing about this!" Why wouldn't he see reason? It was completely idiotic for me to leave on the first airship which was meant for the injured, elderly, as well as mothers, and children. I had no business being on that ship. I needed to be on the first set of trucks that were going to make a break for it and try to keep the Legion from going after the trucks with the higher levels of command. Shade was supposed to be on one of those, and I had planned to be on the exact same one as him. There was no way that he was going to put me on one of the airships unless he carried me up the ramp and tied me down in it.

"Evangeline, they might try and take some of us alive. They'll take me, Mare, Chelsea, Maggie, and Aerie alive. They won't take you though. Samson will kill you the minute he sees you. I don't want to have to chose between you and protecting a group of stragglers." He whispered softly as I lowered my hands in defeat. As much as I understood his point of view, I hated it with every fiber of my being. This was why we could not get close to other people. They became distractions, liabilities in battle. I inhaled deeply, making up my mind, and then raising my chin, I whispered, "Then I would hope that you would make the right decision and let me die."

His eyes widened at my words, and I was reminded once again how different Shade and I really were. He wouldn't leave a man behind, and he might just sacrifice the many for one person that he loved desperately if it came down to that. I loved that about him though, how he loved with every fiber of his being, but as the same time, it made my skin crawl. He needed to be completely unbiased and clear headed in battle, and worrying about me only defined being distracted.

With a soft hand, he reached up to caress my cheek, whispering, "I still forget that you were trained as a soldier first."

With a soft smile that bubbled up from deep inside me at his touch, I cupped his hand with my own before pressing a kiss into his palm. "We'll make a deal. I won't be the last man out, as long as you are right behind me."

He sighed heavily, before leaning down and brushing his lips against my own. "Deal," he breathed, stealing breath right out of my lungs, like he always did. With a smile, I touched my forehead to his, and for a moment, I let him wrap his arms around me and hold me close. For a moment, I could forget the disaster that was coming our way, and just pretend that we were two lovers sharing a private moment. There were secrets though, and they permeated from me. I wouldn't even admit to myself why I had been really helping Garrett, and the questions that had been floating around me head while Shade had been gone. To tell or not to tell, to mention my darkest suspicions or to keep them to myself? The heart was such a troublesome thing, such an annoying thing, but lately it had been governing me too much. So with a silent promise to myself and to Shade, I pressed my lips against his own and sealed the contract. But I also promised something else with that kiss. I would tell him everything when we rendezvoused at Tuck, regardless of what came before.

Behind him, people raced by our hide away, simple blurry smudges against a backdrop of impossible color. Faintly, I could hear shouts, a call to arms, and my heart leaped in my chest when I heard that distant pounding of war. It was like hearing a lullaby from long ago, one that I had never truly forgotten. The Silvers could come, they could try and kill me, but they would never take me without a fight.

As Shade pulled away, everything came back into focus, and I heard the cries as people began to panic and rush for the hangar. The two of us ducked out into the maylay, and we barely avoided a horde of soldiers rushing by, shouting commands to the hold the line into their radios. Mixed in with them, were a few children and mothers, struggling desperately to stay with their group so that no one got lost. ONe little girl fell behind though, and spun wildly in the crowd, screaming for her mother.

I broke off from Shade who was demanding an update from a soldier who was trying to herd people out of the hallway as fast as possible. I slipped through the crowd, shoving my way in certain tight spots until I reached the girl who turned to face me. With tearful eyes she reached her hands up, and I bent down to pick her up before she was crushed under the weight of stampeding feet. I glanced back at Shade, trying to find him in the crowd, but I ended up getting pull along with the flow of bodies. I eventually met his eye and shouted, "I'll meet you at the trucks!"

His eyes pulled away though, and he continued scanning the crowd as if he hadn't heard me, or hadn't seen me. My heart clenched in my chest, but I set my jaw and decided that I would see him at the truck, no matter what.

 _(/Mare/)_

Farley had thrown maps down onto the table in command a hour ago, and Cal had grabbed the nearest one, his hands flying to unravel it before he leaned his fists on the table and poured over the schematics. His bracelets sparked with his agitation, demanding to light the fire that was rolling under his skin. He ignored them though, instead choosing to focus on the layers of machinery and levels before him. He brushed the ash that formed when one of the sparks danced across the paper, to the side, his lips drawing into a tight line as he traced the lines with his finger.

I watched him from across the way as I tried to keep myself awake and scour my own charts for anything that could help us. So far, neither of us had come up with anything of much use, and time was quickly running out. We had to come up with a way to file everyone into the hangar, and get them out without letting the Silvers in. After that, someone had to destroy the files that were being backed up and loaded onto hard drives before being boxed and stored on the second airship with all the other major equipment. Cal and I would be the last to leave, and our get away would rely entirely on Cal's cycle, that he had spent an almost unhealthy amount of time fixing while he waited to be cleared by the medic.

"We'll flush them out, like a fox hole," he whispered to himself, and I glanced up when he said that, my interest quirked. He spun his map to cover mine, and then taking a dark pen he circled a small piping area. "We just have to get Evangeline down into that area, and she can close the pipes to build up pressure. These pipes are so damn old, they're be crushed under the pressure, and the tanks will backfire, flooding the whole compound. We'll wash them out like you would do with a fox hole."

I grabbed his pen and circled another area near the dam, my eyes dancing across the paper as I said, "There's a service entrance to that area here, you and I could cover that and she could go through there to get to the pipes."

He spun the map back around and I slipped around the table and squeezed under his arm so that I was in front of him and he was leaning over me to see the map as well. Sometimes being a lot shorter than him had its advantages.

"If we use that though, we risk getting trapped in the bottleneck created by the stairs." He said bitterly as he tossed the pen down in frustration and then threw himself into the chair behind him. This was frustrating him beyond belief, if we had had more time to prepare then he would have been fine with the situation. The problem was that we had less than an hour to go and people were still being loaded and situated, and we had no way to wipe all the information about the Guard out of this place. He wasn't used to not having a plan, and his soldier oriented mind did not like that at all.

He rested his head in his hands and knotted his fingers in his hair, a very odd showing of frustration, even for him. I slowly reached out and taking his hands away from his face, I bent down and pressed my forehead against his whispering, "Well that's alright, we can attack them one at a time then, and filter them."

He snorted at my comment, and pulled his hands out of my grip before leaning back to put space between us. I frowned at his action, knowing exactly why he was doing it, but I knew what he needed, even if he didn't. So I fought him, I pressed closer and eventually curled up in his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck while I rested my chin on his shoulder. Slowly, I pressed a light kiss on his neck and whispered, "We can do this, you and me. We've gotten out of tighter places before."

His body sagged slightly and he gave in, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer to him so that I was almost flushed against him. He burrowed his head into my hair and breathed against my skin, "The last thing I want to do is fight again, especially with how tired we both are."

I shrugged, partially agreeing. I wouldn't be too upset if I got to crawl into my mattress and sheets with him right now and just sleep. It had been a long week, but today had promised to be the longest by far. Scouts had come back stating that the Silvers were coming, and much faster than we had anticipated. The panic that had ensued had been enough to at least get people moving, but it made their movements frantic and impossible to control. Farley had put herself in charge of organizing the people, and had immediately delegated me and Cal to plan duty. The rest of Phoenix Legion was putting gear on and preparing for battle, even little Maggie had gotten help from Cal in putting on a dark set of clothing and padding so that she could hide among the shadows. Chelsea had visited Torin once more, and he had braved being unmedicated and immersed in his pain so that he could say goodbye in case it was the last time he got to see her, or any of us really. Tanner had been sent with Isabella and Gabriel on the first airship, along with Torin who was probably being moved as I thought about it. Oscar had gone down with the mechanics to look at the water tanks to try and look into shutting them down to put the compound in darkness. We were scattered throughout the compound, with Shade and Evangeline having disappeared for a short time before reappearing together to help move people. As much as us being pulled so thin terrified me, I figured it might be for the best.

Cal pressed his lips into the spot below my jaw, and I smiled in pleasure before knotting my fingers in his hair. His next words dropped my smile as he whispered into my skin, "I'm so scared to lose you, Mare. I can't lose you."

With a soft sigh, I pulled away and caressed his cheek before smiling softly and reassuring him, "I'm not going anywhere without you Calore. We're doing this together, we promised each other that."

Before I could protest his lips were on mine, desperate and terrified, which was a deadly mix before battle. He was afraid to lose me, and he would lose me if we didn't fight, if he didn't stand his ground next to me. He was afraid of his own weakness though, which is exactly what I was, a weakness that any of the Silver's could exploit at any given second. It was a risk we were willing to take though. We had chosen long ago what we meant to each other, and we had proven time and time again that we would stand behind that belief no matter the circumstances.

When he pulled away, I rested my forehead against his, stroking the back of his neck softly, like he used to do when I woke from a nightmare, sobbing about the shadows that were coming for me. My action seemed to calm him, and softly he whispered, "We'll take the cycle, and go to Julian and Sara. We'll hide out there until things cool down a little bit, and then we'll go find the others."

I smiled and then nuzzling his neck, I purred, "That sounds like an invitation to something Calore."

He only smiled at me inference and threw me a lazy wink that would have made any Silver woman go weak at the knees and faint. With a snort, I pushed his face away and climbed out of his lap to look at the map again. Our plan had a lot of loops holes and there was not a lot of time to come up with a new one, so this one would have to suffice.

As Cal went to rise from his seat, Maribel arrived at the top of the stairs and shouted, "They're here! The Silvers are here!"

I spun around in surprise, and Cal leaped to his feet, his bracelets sparking wildly at his sides as flames leaped up and began to race up his arms. The lights flickered overhead as I began to feed on the electricity there, and then throwing the maps on the table to the side, I nodded to Cal who set the whole pile of fire. Maribel's eyes widened, and Cal doused the flames on his arms, before striding toward her and ordering, "Get everyone in command out, what isn't downloaded will just have to be left behind, we won't be able to hold this room."

She nodded and then descended the stairs, a calm breeze in a frenzy of panic. People had scattered, taking boxes and running like scared birds at a gun shot. Cal and I descended into that chaos, and as we walked through the room, I fried the circuits around us. The computers sputtered and died, and I felt the electricity draining from the room as I absorbed it. The explosion of power that came for the computer short circuiting under my guidance fueled the sparks inside of me and I called on them. They raced up my arms and made me into the person that the Silver's feared, the person Maven had created in the Bowl of Bones, the Little Lightning Girl.

(/)

The compound was in panic, but as Cal and I raced through the crowds, shoving people in the direction of the hangar, we created a channel. Chelsea was suddenly next to us, guiding people as well, and Oscar eventually arrived with Maggie who ducked and weaved through people's legs to stay near us. Although she was small, she commanded a presence, and people seemed to flow around her like a rock in a river.

The compound shook with the force of the Silver's bombs, and I stumbled as a particularly good hit made the lights flicker overhead and the ceiling rain small pieces of dirt down on us. The last of the people ran past us, and Cal stood to stiff attention then, gathering all six of us into a small huddle. Chelsea wavered on her feet, her eyes the only sign of her exhaustion and her heavy breathing the only sign of her fear. We were the last ones, we would be the last people to leave and that would be final.

Shade came from around the corner where he must have been directing the stragglers, at full sprint, his eyes wide as he arrived and shouted, "Where's Evangeline?"

I flipped around in panic, looking for the girl who had stolen my brother's heart. She was nowhere to be found though, and for a moment, I wondered if she had fled. If she had led us all on and in the end used us almost as well as Maven would have. Maggie perked up next to me though and announced in a strangely clear voice, "She's on one of the airships. She got stuck on it while loading passengers and she couldn't get off. She's trying to get off now, but someone's not letting her."

Shade exhaled softly, and if I didn't know any better, I would have said it was a sigh of relief. His golden girl was safe, and bound for safety, because he somehow knew that whoever was keeping her on that airship was someone with enough power to keep her from going anywhere, and that she would make it to Tuck safely. She was a major part of our plan though, and without her, we could not execute it.

Cal cursed heatedly, drawing everyone's eyes, before he smoothed his fury into a solid mask of composure and growled, "We'll just have to find another way to backfire the pipes then, Oscar, what did you find out?"

The boy stammered for a moment at being put on the spot, but with a nervous nudge from Chelsea, he managed, "There's a circuit board that controls the whole thing, at the base of the dam. It you override it and fry the system, the machinery will backfire."

"Easy enough," I said as I took a few purposeful steps towards the dam, completely prepared to fry a few circuits and then get out of dodge before anything really happened. As I did though, there was a loud explosion, and the platform we were on shook violently, throwing everyone to their hands and knees. Maggie let out a terrified scream, and I pressed myself to the ground, waiting for the tremor to stop.

As soon as it had, there were shouts from above, and I craned my neck to look up at the dark levels above us. Shadows had begun spilling out of what looked like a hole in the wall, and I had to blink a few times to try and erase my nightmares that were swimming before my eyes. But when I looked up again, I realized that this was not something I could blink away after waking up, this was it, the Silvers were finally here. I had always dreamed that the moment would be more terrifying, with me standing on my own before a legion of people that wanted my blood on their hands and my body dead at their feet. Instead, as I got to my feet, Chelsea rose to hers as well, and stepped up behind me, her eyes like hard jade as she growled, "They could have at least had the decency to go through the front door."

Oscar stood and helped Maggie to her feet before grabbed Aerie's arm roughly and pulling her up as well. Shade took a purposeful step so that he stood to the right of me, and with a twist of his lips he said, "We only have to hold them off for a few minutes, then we can make a run for it."

"All of you will go, Mare and I will handle the water tanks." Cal replied stiffly from my left and I reached out instinctively for him. My fingertips brushed his softly, and I felt him enclose them for a second before letting them drop. If we made it out of this alive, then there would be time for passionate celebrations, but if we didn't, that would be our last embrace. We had met with the brush of a hand under a lantern in front of a tavern, so close and yet so far from each other in that moment. It seemed only fitting to the universe that our last touch should be the same.

The Silver Legion poured down the stairs, and at their head, his eyes like hard, dark obsidian, was Ptolemus. His silvery hair whipped around violently as he vaulted over the last staircase and landed in a crouch in front of us. His dark eyes sought each of us out, obviously looking for someone. Next to me Shade bristled and spit, "She's not here."

His eyes met Shade's across the gap, and for a moment, I wondered if his glare would kill my brother. It was sharp as the knives on his belt, and his smile afterward only made it worse. Shade wasn't about to back down though, years in the Stilts had taught him to back up attitude with actions. So with grin of his own, he teleported. Ptolemus leaped into action, his sword coming up to strike at Shade, only for my brother to appear behind him and send a hard kick into his side.

By that time, the other Silvers had spilled down the stairs, their eyes like demons as they broke our little group into separate entities. I was slowly backed into a corner, until I was surrounded by Silvers, with smiles like weapons, dripping with blood lust. All they wanted was to spill my blood and drag my dead body before Maven to receive their reward. Or they would take me to whatever facility it was that Samson wanted me at. These soldiers were not the ones we had run into at the Samos estate though, these were the feared Shadow Legion, and hosts of others.

Slowly, I reached out to the electricity around me, calling it like a siren. It leaped at my call, and raced through the machinery and metal around me, demanding to be used. I crouched down slowly, and the Silvers in front of me bristled, prepared for a fight. My fingertips touched the floor and I smiled as the tendrils of electricity raced up my arms and into my soul, it felt like greeting an old friend. They fueled me and leaped off of me like waves of power, and they roared around me, demanding a release. This was always the hard part. Letting the blast go was always easy, but holding it in and using it slowly to protect my stamina was almost impossible sometimes. It was going to be a long fight though, and I still felt my exhausting battle from early this morning. It was strange, but this morning felt like ages ago, when in fact, it was only a few hours past that unfortunate mission. We wouldn't be able to fight long, but if we could hold the Legions off for a few minutes, we might be able to buy everyone enough to time to escape.

I grinned as the lighting raced along my arms, drawing worried looks from the Legion members. They should have been afraid of me. Clenching my hands into fists at my sides to force control and reign in my power, I said, "Shall we?"

A Nymph was the first to leap, using the waterfall behind him like a facet to draw water across the floor. It snaked towards me and I danced away from it before throwing a blast his direction. He created a shield of water that dissipated the moment my lightning touched it. He hissed in fury and called up more water to face me once more. One of his partners, leaped to his side, and as Shiver, froze the water into shards that he sent my direction like knives. With a scream of fury, I lashed out with bolts of lightning, melting them before they could reach me. A few of them snuck through though, and bit at my skin. One of them cut me above my eye, spilling blood into my vision. I wiped at it furiously, and then erected a small force field to buy me time to recover. It wasn't allowed to stand though, because the Nymph threw a gallon of water on it, causing it to waver, and for me to struggle to withstand the onslaught that came after. The Shiver leaped into attack, followed by a young Telkie who threw rocks at me from all directions. It was almost impossible to keep up with them, so in the end, I was forced into the defensive. The most I could do was just try to keep from getting pelted by one of the flying objects.

Around me, the others didn't appear to be doing any better. Oscar was struggling against a less powerful Burner who was throwing fire at him like it was air. They were locked almost head to head, the two of them seemed evenly matched, but Oscar had only trained. He had never truly been in a fight, so he did not know how to handle every situation, or how to think on his feet in the heat of battle. There was nothing I could do to help him though, and no one else seemed really able to either.

Shade and Ptolemus were still locked in a battle to the death. Shade was like a harpy, disappearing and reappeared only to deliver quick painful jabs when he did. Ptolemus was getting tired of playing the same game though, and in a few minutes he would catch Shade. My brother was obsessed with hurting the man who had tried to hurt Evangeline though, and who had almost killed him. He needed to finish the fight though, to end it while he still could and then help us push back more of the Silvers.

I had lost track of Maggie with her tiny size in the crowd, and Cal, Aerie and Chelsea were also missing. My heart raced as I blocked another chunk of rock, exploding it to tiny pieces. Had they been killed, or were they falling back to try and give themselves more of a chance? Were me, Shade, and Oscar the last ones? If we were, there was no sign that the Silvers were stopping. More and more kept pouring onto the platform, like an overflowing jar spilling onto a table. We had no chance, none at all of stopping them at this point. With a grimace, I allowed the Shiver, Nymph, and Telkie to push me toward the exits. As I was going, I tried to direct more attention to hopefully pull more Silvers in my direction. A few broke off and followed me, and I felt the burning in my lungs as I started to get tired. My exhaustion was tenfold compared to earlier, and I almost couldn't bear the steps it took to get to the next pocket.

A blast of fire rolled by me and I leaped to the side before looking over my shoulder and seeing Cal drawing his own following. The Silvers flocked to him like he was a magnet. He was covered in tiny cuts and bruises that had obviously come from a weak magnetron that was spinning a set of knives on her fingers. The two of us were pushed together and then toward the stairs that led down into the bowels of the dam. I stood shoulder to shoulder with Cal then, my breathing coming in like gasps as I hissed, "Where are the others?"

"Maggie's holding her own," he grunted as he pushed a wall of fire toward the Silvers, forcing them backwards. I ducked under her arm to throw another bolt of lightning at a Silver that was sneak up on his left. He didn't even glance in that direction as we smoothly switched spots. "Chelsea is with Aerie, the two of them make a damn good pair, I think we should partner them."

"Interesting," I panted as I electrocuted another Silver that had broken out of the fold. Cal's eyes swept the line in front of us, and then putting his back to mine, he whispered, "The others should be gone by now, I think it's time to maybe face the odds and make a break for it while we still can."

I nodded weakly, before planting my feet on the ground and lashing out at a female Silk who had slipped around one of her partners to try and go after me. She let out a howling cry of pain and then retreated. I rocked on exhausted legs and leaned against Cal for a moment, waiting for him to give the order. He forced a Shiver back and then shouted, "Phoenix Legion, fall back to the hanger!"

There were shouts from the Silvers to try and stop us from going that direction, but I watched a small flash of blonde curls slowly force them to clear a path. Chelsea was right behind, helping a hobbling Oscar in that direction, while Aerie silenced the Silver's behind them to protect the tiny group. I watched their progress greedily, until they vanished through the tunnel that led to the hangar, and I took a step toward the stairs then, nudging Cal to do the same. He followed my lead, the two of us, walking down the stairs knowing exactly what waited for us at the bottom. We would be caught, there was no other option. We would be able to buy Phoenix Legion enough to time to escape, but it would be at the cost of our lives. The Silvers followed us like sharks smelling blood in the water. They knew exactly what we were trying to do, but apparently we were a big enough prize to give up the others.

As we approached the bottom, I traded off with Cal, with him leading us down the stairs while I covered him. I had been right earlier though, the Silvers could really only go down the stairs one at a time which made it easier to fight them, but it was also excruciating, because every time one fell, they were replaced by another.

My foot hit the last step and I followed Cal across the platform, my heavy breathing blocked out of the sounded of the water cascading into the massive dam next to us. I was coated in a layer of sweat, and my clothing was starting to get soaked from the spray of the water. My heart wasn't hammering in my chest though, and I slowly pressed against Cal, who had continued to back up toward the control box. If we were going to go down, we were going to do it finishing the mission. Samson would not take that victory from us. The Silvers paused at the bottom of the steps as they fanned out in lines to face us, some of them obviously curious as to why Cal and I had chosen this as our last hurrah, or maybe even our tomb. It would be a cold and watery one, there was no doubt about that.

I turned my shoulders slowly, putting my body in a defensive position that I had learned to adapt after years of training under Cal. He took the same position, his body facing mine as his eyes met mine across what felt like infinite space. I couldn't even bring myself to cry over the bitter unfairness of this moment, because in truth, it had been a long time coming. Cal and I had fought many battles, and although I had always hoped there would be many more, I was willing to accept this one. There was no one I would rather die next to than the man who had vowed his life to me, even after I had betrayed him.

Raising my chin to met his eye, I nodded carefully and then glanced at the lines of men and women, sharpening their claws to dig them into our throats and hearts. Their stares pierced my soul, and for a moment, I felt a shiver. It wasn't from fear though, it was from elation. I would take them all down, one by one. They would have to sever my head from my body if they wanted to stop me.

I felt Cal's hand brush mine, and I turned my eyes back to him for a moment as he whispered softly, "I'll protect you as long as I can."

"I know," I replied, knowing for certain this time that he would. My lips curved at his words that had once rang turn two years ago when I had stood before the gates to the Bowl of Bones. Even then he had taken my hand and whispered that strange notion. Now, it was a promise, one that I returned with my own reply. We would die facing back to back, with our bodies interlocked in a dance as old as the universe itself, and our hearts enterally joined beyond the boundary of blood.

I moved first, dancing around him, and throwing a bolt of lightning across the way at the circuit box which exploded in a bright shower of sparks. The whole dam gave a loud, guttural groan at the loss of power, and I relished the terrified looks on the Silvers faces. They had accounted for everything, except for our desperation to protect the others. That would be their downfall though, and that was how we were going to destroy them.

As soon as I had spun on my heel to finish the turn, Cal had launched a wall of fire that pushed the Silvers back a few steps. It didn't burn well though, and the water almost doused it as it rained down from above. I followed his fire though, and when it fell, my lightning followed in its place. The Silvers pushed through though, their sheer numbers the advantage in the moment. Even if Cal and I were surrounded by the other members of Phoenix Legion, we would have still been severely out numbered. There was just not enough of us, and too many of them.

They eventually managed to corral Cal and I into a center point while they circled around us, fencing us in. I backed up into Cal, my eyes searching wildly for an exit that didn't exist. Even in this moment, I didn't want to accept this fate, even if I had partially done so already. Cal didn't seem keen on bowing out either, because he lit his hands with fire and pressed his back into mine as well, the two of us making up a team. I could feel the strength in his shoulders, and the heat that rolled off of him as a warning to those around us. My lips drew into a tight line, as his rage and determination fuel mine, and with a sneer, I let sparks dance between my fingertips.

We stood at the pinnacle of stillness for a few heartbeats, before the first wave of Silvers attacked in a blinding wave. I almost couldn't keep up with all of them, and as pairs of them engaged me, they also engaged Cal, who was struggling just as much as me. They had learned a thing or two since last fighting us together, that was for sure. They did not attack in unison, some of them attacked in the middle of or right after the others, and their weapons cut at me without any form of shielding on my part.

Behind me, Cal took a particularly hard blow from a Nymph who had flooded the floor and then whipped the water up to strike him across the chest. He was thrown to the ground a few steps away from me, and I cried his name as the Silver's enclosed me from all sides. They surrounded him too though, separating us. My heart hammered, and my eyes flashed erratically around me as I tried to keep up with the beatings from all directions. At the same time, I tried to peer through their legs to see Cal, who was half on the ground, half on his knees, trying to fight off the people around him so that he could at least stand.

As I went to take a step backwards though to avoid a hit, my foot sloshed through water, and I glanced down to see the ankle deep, icy liquid flooding the platform. The Silvers seemed to notice my glance, because they too looked down, and then began shouting warnings to each other. The compound was flooding, and we wouldn't have much longer down here before everyone on the platform was washed down into the dam itself where we would most likely drown. I would take a few more of them down though, before I met that freezing end.

I dropped to a crouch, and then focusing my electricity on specific spots, I fired a few bolts into the water. I miscalculated the potency though, and almost all of the Silvers around me fell into the water, screaming as they were electrocuted. They had absorbed most of the shock though, because the group around Cal seemed to falter for only a second. I leaped at them then, screaming furiously as I launched myself onto the back of a Strongarm. I slammed my fist down into his head, like Tramy and Bree taught me to do when I was little. He howled in pain and then grabbed at me from behind and threw me over his shoulders. I sailed through the air like a rag doll and then hit the platform. I rolled for a few feet and then struggled to get up again. I must have hit my head against the metal because my ears were ringing and my eyesight was spotted with stars.

Still, I stumbled to my feet, and sent a haphazard bolt in the general direction of a silver. It hit a young woman across the chest and threw her, smoldering, into the water at her feet. I sloshed through it then, my eyes set on another young woman who was sneaking up behind Cal to deliver a killing blow to the back of his neck.

She raised her arm to plunge a knife into his back, but I stepped in front and caught her wrist. She looked at me in fury, as I pushed back, throwing her backwards. She stumbled toward the edge of the dam, and when she noticed her mistake, she swung her arms to keep her balance. It was too late though, all of her weight was behind her, so with a horrified scream, she fell backwards into the dam. Crowing triumphantly at her death, I turned to face another Silver, a Shadow judging by the darkness that was wrapping around his feet, and the way he kept flickering in and out of eyesight.

Just as I lit a ball of sparks in my hand though, a voice rose about the sounds of battle.

"Enough." It spit, but behind the poisoned word, there was a touch of boredom, like a child who had seen enough of a show. I still screamed in fury though, determined to ignore the command. As I went to throw my sparks though, my arm froze, and my whole body went rigid with stillness. I tried to tug at whatever invisible force was holding me back, but nothing worked. Cal was in the same state of distress, as he tried to push forward a step and put himself between me and whoever had commanded us to stop. The fire in his hands died at the same time that my lightning did, and I watched in horror as the Silvers slowly peeled away from us, like dogs being called off the hunt. The only sound it seemed was the roar of the waterfall, and the sound of the water as it lapped across the platform and continued to rise.

The crowd of Silvers parted, and I could only turn my eyes to glance in the direction of the new comer. The minute I had though, I wished that I hadn't, because strolling through the crowd, in a dark, midnight blue ensemble, was Samson Merandus. His frozen blue eyes locked on both me and Cal at the same time, and with a slight chuckle he said, "My, my, my you two sure can put up a fight. I can't lie, I am impressed."

Cal growled deeply, his eyes narrowing as he struggled further against Samson's hold. The Whisperer glanced in his direction though and insisted, "Stop struggling Tiberias, you should know that you can't break my hold."

I ground my teeth, and managed to spit through my clenched jaw, "Shut up."

His eyes strayed to me, and with a smile, he walked past Cal, who let of an explosion of heat, that Samson pointedly ignored. With a soft hand, the older man reached out and cupped my chin softly. His hold broke for a moment, and he lifted my chin ever so slightly so that I was looking into his eyes. He tilted his head to the side, and then observing me carefully, he said, "So this is the famous Mare Barrow," he seemed to think about it for a moment, and then with a dark chuckle he finished, "Judging by the stories they tell about you, I thought you would have been taller."

Gathering all the saliva in my mouth, I spit it out. It landed directly on its mark, on his forehead, in the area right between his eyebrows. He froze in surprise, and then wiping it away tenuously, he sighed and then dropped his hand to my throat. He squeezed tightly, and I gasped in surprise, as he forced my knees to bend until he was bent over me and I was kneeling before him. With a grin then, he leaned down and whispered, "The King has been expecting you my dear, but he didn't tell me to bring you in one piece. So I suggest, if you want to keep every pretty little finger on your hand, that you never do that again."

He dropped my chin, but kept me in my genuflecting position, I turned my head, surprised to notice it was mobile, and spotted movement at the top of the stairs. My eyes locked on Shade's form, his expression murderous as he took in the scene below him. He looked no worse for the wear, although he was obviously holding his side to stop a wound from bleeding. I wanted to scream at him to run, to leave me and Cal to this fate, but doing so would give him away. Samson would take him too, and I couldn't bear to see my brother forced to kneel before Maven.

As if he sensed my thoughts, he turned his head away in fury, and then glanced back once more. He nodded weakly, understanding what I was asking of him, and then teleported. I hoped it was to the others, I hoped that he would get them out safely, because if they died too, there would be no one left to train the other New Bloods that needed to be saved.

Samson nodded to a group of Silvers who leaped forward, and with harsh hands, grabbed me by my shoulders and arms. They did the same to Cal, who was brought to his knees like a dog. He let out a cry of fury and almost managed to break out of their hold, his arms lighting with fire and burning everyone who touched him. A nymph doused him in water though, and left him sputtered and coughing on the platform. They grabbed him and yanked his braclets off, handing them to Samson who turned the contractions over in his hand mindlessly. They shackled us next, shoving our wrists into binders that were heavier than I had ever run into. The minute they were clamped around my wrist though, the buzz of electricity vanished and I felt the same curtain of dizziness from the net wash over me. Cal was locked into a set of binders too, although he still have enough of his strength to throw his elbow back and catch one of the Silver's across the nose, spilling bright silver droplets around us.

Samson chuckled, like a psychotic child laughing at an animal being tortured. The Silvers shoved Cal face first into the water around us, until he struggled against them, burning for air. With a wave of his hand and a laugh, Samson ordered them to stop, and they yanked Cal's head back by his hair so that he could inhale mouthfuls of air.

Glancing at me, as if he were waiting for me to perform the same fight, Samson smiled wickedly before beckoning a woman out of the crowd. She bowed smartly and he leaned towards her to say, "Take them to the airships, but separate them, we can't have the two of them scheming under our noses, now can we?" He threw me a lazy wink at that, and then with another laugh turned on his heel and began to ascend the stairs. I was yanked to my feet and I cried out as I was dragged away from Cal who was forced to stay on his knees behind me. I tried to turn and look at him over my shoulder, crying his name desperately as I jumped up and kicked my feet out, like a child fighting it's parents. The Silvers that had grabbed me though, lifted me clean off the floor like I was nothing but a sack of flower. I kicked out once more, and succeed in catching an unlucky Silver across the shoulder. He had gotten a little too close in front of me, and had misjudged how far I could stretch. He flipped around in fury, only for Samson to order him to back down. I was dragged up the stairs, with my toes smacking the steps every so often until they were numb.

This was it, they were taking me to the mysterious facility where they would test the serum on me until I was whatever they wanted out of it. But at the top of the stairs, Samson paused in front of Ptolemus, who was sporting a bright purple, silver stained nose. His eyes were like fiery pits though as he took me in. No doubt my brother had robbed him of any good facial features that he had possessed, and now, he was going to take out his rage on me. With a condescending glance in Ptolemus' direction Samson said, "I do hope that you managed to kill the imbecile that you were fighting."

With a tight jaw, Ptolemus growled, "He got away, one second he was there, the next he was gone."

Samson scoffed in disappointment and then glaring him down he spit, "Pathetic."

With a wave of his hand, he ushered out little party forward, past Ptolemus who for the first time in his life, looked terrified at the pronunciation of one word. He seemed to exhale slowly though, and then turned and follow us, pacing after me like a dog hunting a fox. I stopped struggling then, my eyes darting left and right to try and find any of our bodies. My heart leaped with pride when I saw that they were nowhere to be seen. They had gotten away then, and I hoped that they stayed away, for their own sakes.

Setting my jaw, I stared straight ahead and wiggled in my captors arms until I was walking on my own two feet. I wasn't going to be carried out like a toy, I would walk to my destiny, and most likely to my death. I would not let Maven, or Samson for that matter, steal the only thing I had left. My pride would stand by me, it always had, and no doubt when Maven separated my head from my shoulders, Red blood would flow out, but deep down it would be Silver as well.

 **A/N**

 **AHA! Another chapter, and so quick of a turn around too! At least in my eyes it was quick. Anyway, best to give y'all an update on where we are in the story. We have three more chapters, one more real one, and then two epilogues, that's right y'all two epilogues. One will be incredibly short though, like we're talking almost bullet points style. Looking into my crystal ball, I foresee that next chapter will probably be longer than this one, but no less important. Because in the next chapter, we get the confrontation that had been building up for almost two stories now, Mare v. Maven. (evil chuckle). Buckle up y'all we about to take a ride on the wild side next chapter, as all of Maven's plans come to a head, and Mare and Cal are tested to the ultimate point. DUN DUN DUN….**

 **Question Time!**

 **Alright so I need your feedback y'all. I have one more story after this, (YAAAAAASSSS) that concludes the trilogy. Now, I have three ideas of what to do after:**

 _ **One, I write this one set of modern AU's called Nursery Verse, (To be explained if posted)**_

 _ **Two, one more story after the third one in this trilogy that is from Maggie's perspective only when she is much older**_

 _ **Three, just writing a bunch of AU as separate stories (one of which is an apocalypse AU, Zombies and angst to follow (evil laugh))**_

 **Just a quick little vote would be awesome, just a hey, I think it would be fun to see you do this kind of thing. Thanks and see you in the next chapter lovelies!**


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 _(/Mare/)_

The airship touched down roughly on the tarmac, and I was jostled in my seat. My cuffs clanked against each other, and my restraints dug into my arms painfully. I continued to gnaw on the cloth that had been tied around my mouth in a gag to keep me from speaking though, ignoring the pain. I had been working at the cloth for hours while we had been flying, trying to get it out of my mouth so I could breath clearly. Samson had sat across from me the whole time though, his eyes winking like pools of ice under a full moon. He had seen me trying to wiggle out of my restraints earlier and had smiled at me like we were sharing a secret. If anything though, his smile made me feel like I was a piece of meat that he was about to carve up for dinner.

The airship came to a complete stop with a jerk, digging my restraints into my arms once more. I growl threateningly when the soldier next to me goes to grab me, and Samson's lips quirk up the slightest bit as the ramp lowers with a hiss. The soldiers rise obediently around me, and my restraints are undone before I'm yanked to my feet like a rag doll. I pull against their hold and manage to finish gnawing the last of my gag away. I spit out the piece that's stuck in my mouth and flip around to try to leap at Samson. The Sentinels grab me though, their grips worse than the shackles as they force me to my knees. Samson walks by without so much as a blink, and I scream at him in fury. How dare he not be afraid of me, how dare he think himself out of my reach?

I'm yanked to my feet once more, and dragged out into the early evening. The heat of spring presses down on me in a humid blanket as the Sentinels frame me in a box of power that is almost useless. I can't fight back, the shackles at my wrist keep me from so much as conjuring up the tiniest of sparks. Across my from me, another airship's ramp is lowered, and another horde of Sentinels pours out, and in the middle of it all, fighting like a bull about to dragged back into a pen is Cal. He bucks against their hold, and kicks out, only to be beaten to the asphalt. I struggle against my captors, and the sudden change in my demeanor gives me a chance to slip out of both of their weak grips. They both hollar at the others but I've already shoved through them and started to make a run for the other airship. They chase after me, and for a moment, I think about turning and trying to go for the trees at the very edge of the airfield. The low lying shrubbery would be enough to give me cover as I try to escape. The bullet that slams into the pavement right next to me though, announces that I would never make it there. So I veer slightly, and then throw my entire body weight into a body slam that takes the Sentinel beating Cal completely by surprise.

We both collapse to the ground, the hard surface cutting into my cheek as I roll off of him. As soon as I get my bearings, I grab the chain between my shackles and with a scream snap it at his face with a whip. It cracks across his jaw and leaves a bright silver mark that quickly begins to bleed. Before I can do anymore damage though, I'm grabbed and forced to the ground by at least three Sentinels. They shove my face into the asphalt and shout at each other to bring more restraints.

Samson appears then, the edge of his cape cutting at my face. He sneers in disgust for a moment, apparently not sure what to do with me now. Eventually he smiles though, and whispers, "How touching, neither of you is willing to leave the other behind."

I strain against my captors to lift my neck and spit up at him. I miss my target though, and Samson shakes his head at me before beckoning another Sentinel. "I'm feeling in the romantic mood today," he says with a bored expression, and then with a tight smile down at Cal, he continues, "I think I'll let them ride in the truck together. They can share any last minute affections then."

Both of us are pulled to our feet at that command, and Samson turns on his heel, waving the entire entourage forward. For a moment, I

wonder if I should take his advice and actually have a last second moment of affection with Cal, but something tells me that even if he says he's granting us that moment, he won't allow it to actually take place.

(/)

The ride into Archeon is painfully long, with Cal sitting next to me, his shoulder pressed into mine, and his eyes straight forward on Ptolemus who is doing a fantastic job of avoiding his once-friend's glare. The other Sentinels in the truck don't seem the least bit moved either, their eyes are frozen and cold as they glare straight ahead. If I would have looked behind us, I would have seen Samson riding in the truck following ours. His icy gaze freezing both me and Cal in place so that we didn't move. It was eerie, knowing that someone was watching us so closely. If we tried anything though, Samson could kill us with just a thought.

The truck we were riding in was missing a top, and I had a feeling it was so that everyone in Archeon could see that Cal and I had been captured and that the Red's greatest hope, was about to be squashed like bugs under a boot. I wouldn't let them have the satisfaction of that though, so I painted a glare on my features and focused on the bright glint of the ocean that was not too far away. My view was suddenly blocked by buildings though, as we entered the center of the city.

It was the early evening, and everyone was out, children, parents, merchants, and house leaders with their Red servants. People stopped and stared, their eyes wide and their mouths falling open when they saw me and Cal. The Reds turned away with horror, but the Silvers couldn't tear their eyes away and whispered to one another. A few of them sneered at us, and one soul with good aim managed to hurl a fruit so that it hit Cal directly in the back of the head, splattering bright red juice against his pale skin. I turned to find the culprit, but the minute I went to spit a curse in his direction, the Sentinel next to me yanked my face forward again.

A few seconds later, the Silvers pushed against the truck as it slowly rumbled through the crowded streets, that were only becoming busier as more people noticed us. The Silvers screamed obscenities at us, and hurled insults like they were knives, calling me a murderer, and Cal much worse. A few times, people tried to leap forward and grab at me, but Sentinels pushed them back. I huddled against Cal to hide my face, surprised at the ferocity that my actions had caused. I shouldn't have felt that way though, I had always known the consequences of what I had been doing with the Guard.

The truck left the crowds though as we entered the western district and approached the bridge that connected the town to Whitefire palace. As we started over the bridge, I pulled away from Cal, and watched as guards slowly stepped in front of the crowds to keep them from following us. Slowly, my eyes drifted toward Samson who sat with a small grin, as his eyes trailed up to an object above my head. I swallowed tightly, and then let my eye travel in the direction of eye was immediatly drawn to a single figure hanging from a point above the bridge and for a moment I thought I was going to be sick.

Hector's body swung like a broken pendulum above our heads, his eyes missing, his mouth hanging open to reveal his missing tongue and teeth, even worse still was the blood that seemed to be dripping from every inch of his skin. On a wooden sign around his neck was the haunting message, _the end of the Guard is near_.

My stomach turned at the sight and I forced myself to tear my eyes away from the disgusting spectacle. Slowly, I turned away and rested my head on Cal's shoulder again. He glanced down at me in confusion before following my eyes.

Ptolemus saw my revulsion written all over my face, and with a malicious grin he said, "Don't be so upset Barrow, you and Calore can hang side by side if you really want to."

I could only imagine what we would look like too, with signs around our neck announcing to everyone that the hope of the rebellion had died with us. Maybe it wouldn't though, there was still Shade and Evangeline, a light in the dark that could possibly grow to lead people like Cal and I had. I didn't want to dwell on that though, because if I did, Samson would pry into my head and find exactly where we had sent the others, and he would track them down and destroy the last remnants of the Guard.

The trucks rolled over the bridge though, the very one where two years ago, I had put my faith in Maven's words, and I had been shown exactly what happened when you played games that you had no business playing. As if he sensed my train of thought, Cal turned his gaze to mine and leaned down to whisper, "It's going to be okay, I'll be with you until the very end."

I nodded weakly and then turned to pressed my forehead to his for a heartbeat before one of the Sentinels grabbed me by my braid and yanked me away from Cal. I didn't even bother fighting, there was nothing that I could do anymore. I would have no choice but to face Maven. It was strange that all I had asked for was to face him, then again I had always pictured it on a battlefield where the match would be even, and I would win. There would be no victory here though. I would not get to die on my own terms, and I would not be allowed any form of fighting to defend myself. My death would be pathetic and like a spark being snuffed out like a candle in the dark. I had grown into a storm over Norta, but now I was about to be chased away by a wind out of the south that would dispel my clouds.

The gates to the palace snapped shut behind us, startling me out of the my thoughts. Our truck was surrounded by hordes of Sentinels, and I felt the weight of thousands of glares as we were yanked off the bench and to our feet. At the back of the truck, Ptolemus waited, his sword gleaming in the light, and as I passed him I recognized the hilt. Two years ago, Cal had worn it on his belt with pride, until it had been covered in his father's blood. As if he sensed my gaze, Ptolemus set his hand on it and squeezed gently, like I would steal it from him with just a gaze. I looked up to meet his gaze and almost told him to go to Hell, but I was shoved out of the truck unceremoniously and onto the cobblestone ground. It cut into my knees and hands when I landed, and a heartbeat later, Cal joined me. The men that grabbed him handled him a little more gently than the ones on the airship, and I realized that these men wore the Palace uniform. These were the men who Cal had grown up with, the soldiers who had known him from the time he was a boy. They did not treat me with the same respect though, in fact, they manhandled me to my feet so roughly that Cal actually struggled against his guards and glared at the ones holding my arms.

As we were dragged across the courtyard, I looked around wildly for a familiar set of icy irises, or the horrific glint of that onyx crown. There was no sign of the boy king though, and the only people that seemed interested in our arrival were a few members of the High Houses who had been walking out as we were coming in. They stared at us with wide eyes and gaping mouths, while they took hesitant steps back from the men that pulled us along.

The doors of the palace were snapped shut behind us by a set of guards, and we were rushed down the gleaming golden halls, like we were a secret that no one was supposed to know about. Samson was not far behind, his boots echoing as we went, and his ability keeping me and Cal from actually fighting back. As we passed through the gleaming halls, I glanced around the empty corridors. Where was the court, surely they were here? After all, they didn't leave for Summerton until the summer, and it was only the middle of spring. It was as if we were the only people alive in the palace. The doors were banged closed behind us as we went deeper into the palace though, the sound chasing us as we went, like doomsday bells foretelling exactly what awaited us at the heart of this maze.

(/)

They dragged us down to the cells below the palace, the very ones that used to haunt my nightmares, and still sometimes did. The cold reached down into my bones and settled there, as we continued down the very stairs that I had once fought my way up to save Farley and Kilorn. They didn't look any different, and I was sure that given the chance to stop, I could have found the spot where my blood had been spilled. My first mistake in the palace, that had only given Maven the chance to use me even further, and that had condemned Cal's uncle to disgrace and a life on the run.

We paused outside of the cell block though, and the men grabbed us and pulled us to separate sides to push us against the walls. The cold, wet stone cut into my cheek, leaving another bruise, and another cut that would only be added to the multitude I would have when I was sent to death. The guards grabbed my hips and began to pat me down for any other weapons. I struggled against their wandering hands, but they kept going. Eventually the hands found my knife, the one that Cal had gifted me, in it's holster that I had hidden at my lower back. They pulled it out, and I twisted around to see them hand it Ptolemus who turned it over in his hands for a moment. He caught sight of the engraving and chuckling, he took the blade in his hand and liquified it until it dripped like silver blood onto the stone floor. I cried out against the destruction of my precious gift, but Ptolemus only tossed the useless hilt to the side and then turned and left to probably report to Maven. I watched him go, until the hands began to search every pocket of my clothing then. They found the front pocket of my jacket and dug out the picture of Phoenix Legion in there, and I watched in horror as that too was handed over to Samson.

He glanced at it and then beckoned an extra guard to him. He handed the picture to the woman and ordered her to run a facial recognition check on everyone present in the picture. She nodded and then turned and left at a brisk walk to follow the order. I watched her go up the stairs, my mind going numb with terror. A Sentinel grabbed me by the back of my jacket and then taking a knife, he ripped it from the bottom up to my neck and then another cut it off my arms so that the useless fabric fell to the floor. They took my red bandana and handed that to Samson who chuckled when he saw it.

Next to me, Cal was stripped of his bracelets, the beautiful pieces sparking uselessly one last time before Samson took them. He looked them over as well, as if they were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen, and then with a shrug he pocketed them.

As soon as we had been checked and then double checked, we were pushed forward toward the stairs of the cell block. My wrists ached from the shackles that no matter how hard I had tried to break with sparks never broke. There was no getting out of them like I had gotten out of my gag, and there was no getting out of this situation anymore.

We were yanked and prodded down the stairs into the bowels of the Bowl of Bones, and I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks as I entered those terrifying depths again. I could almost remember being thrown down into them last time. Cal had been there that time too, but he had been my enemy, a man who I had tried to use and had ultimately betrayed. Now, we went down the steps as lovers, as partners, as co-leaders of a legion. It was a strange thing, seeing how much had changed over time. I wondered for a moment if Maven had changed just as much. Would he look the same, would he look older? Cal had once whispered to me that men always seemed to age twenty years after wearing the crown for a night. I'd teased him about grey hairs that night, and he had laughed about it. Now though, I felt the weight of that crown as if I wore it myself. It was like a suffocating chain around my throat, closing tighter with each breath.

Maven and Samson would hunt everyone down now, that much I was certain. Torin would probably be the first to die because he would be trying to protect the others, even in his inhibited state. Isabella and baby Gabriel would be slaughtered mercilessly in their hometown to show the others that no one was above being sentenced to death. Chelsea would be thrown in a cell just like the one I was heading for, and she would either be tortured into giving information, or left to rot. Oscar would either go down with Torin, or die with Chelsea, either way, his death would not be quick or painless. And Maggie, tiny, sweet, innocent Maggie, would be dragged before Maven where he would rip her to shreds for the part she played in killing his mother. I could see all of their deaths before my eyes, and I could hear their screams. My nightmares had come to haunt me finally, and like the shadows around me, they danced mercilessly and taunted me.

The stairs ended suddenly and I stumbled, almost falling flat on my face. The Sentinel caught me by the scruff of my shirt though, and I choked as the collar cut into my throat. He yanked me to my feet again though, and propelling me down the long hallway of barren cells, he hissed in my ear, "Make another sound Red, and we'll see how much longer you will be breathing."

I had never heard a Sentinel speak before, but here was the first time I had ever heard one, and it was no different than their image. Cold, calculating, and merciless, his voice was like shards of ice cutting into my ear. It sent shivers of terror down my spine, and I couldn't help the fear that pooled in the pit of my stomach as I was lead down the cold cell block. The Silent Stone down here was as confining as I remembered it being, and as a cell loomed into view in front of me, and the Sentinel slowly came to a stop before it, I felt my insides squeeze in disgust. Who was to say if this was the cell that I had been in before? Who was to say if this was the cell that had haunted my nightmares for years? For a moment, I saw a mirage of myself, sitting with my back to the bars of the other cell, trying to hide my tears as I realized the death sentence I had placed on everyone I loved. Behind me, Cal sat in silence, his eyes on his hands, watching as his father's blood slowly sank into his skin, marking him with a burden that he would take to his grave.

The guard hold me waited with me in front of that cell for the Magnetron that was pushing Cal down the hallway to open it, and when the man finally arrived, the Sentinel threw me inside and reached out to grab Cal by his shirt. A voice giddy with excitement from the end of the hallway stopped him from throwing Cal in after me though.

"No, leave him out. He and I have unfinished business."

I scrambled to my feet as soon as I had gathered my wits, and went to lunge for freedom, only to meet the bars of the cell. The shackles around my wrists dropped mysteriously and I looked down at my freed wrists in surprise. Out of the shadows and gloom, Maven appeared, and dressed in vibrant red and gold, he looked like a flame, like a king. For a moment I was reminded of his original image in my mind. A shadow to the flame, but now, compared to Cal's filthy rags and appearance, he looked like the flame his brother had once been. But he was still so small, and the crown looked like it was teetering on his head, as if it was on the verge of falling off. He looked sickly and pale too, as if he hadn't been sleeping well. Good, I thought with a bitter grin. I hoped that the Guard kept him awake at all hours of the night, wondering when we were coming for him to take that crown that he held in such high esteem.

As he approached our little party, his lips broke into a crooked smile, and he let out a barking laugh as he gestured for the Sentinels to bring Cal to his knees. Although Cal resisted the action, they eventually grabbed his shoulders and kicked his knees forward so that he collapsed to his knees in the dirt before his brother. He didn't cry out though, even though the motion must have been painful. Maven looked down at him with a wicked grin when Cal sneered up at him and then tilting his head to the side, the boy king growled, "Won't you bow to your King, brother?"

Cal's lips twisted into a grimace and he spit into the dirt at Maven's feet, making his brother step back in surprise. Cal grinned up at him and replied, "Kill me if you must, but I won't bow to a king who sits on a throne made with the bones of his victims."

Maven sneered at his brother, and then backhanded him so hard that Cal spit out blood that splattered across the stone floor near my feet. I gasped in pain and grabbed at the bars of the cells, my grip turning my knuckles white. Maven didn't seem to notice me though, his eyes were only on his obstinate brother who he thought he would be able to force into genuflection. He turned burning eyes onto the Sentinels and nodded. One of them dug his gloved hand into Cal's hair, and forced his head forward, and I could see the muscles straining in Cal's neck and he tried to fight back. Maven sighed, apparently bored with his new toy already, and pacing around Cal in a slow circle, he said, "Everyone can be made to bow, eventually. Don't think you are some form of an exception."

He circled Cal once, and then twice, looking over him like he was prize at a show. With a twist of his lips, Maven said, "My God you've lost weight. I'd say you look like half the man you were when you escaped your execution, but I'd be lying if I said that." He laughed to himself, his eyes devouring Cal's weaker form. He took a final step around, completing a third round, only to glance up and see me. He paused in front of me then, and raised a brow in surprise as he spoke into the gloom over his shoulder, "You didn't say that you brought her as well."

"I figured you would like the surprise, both of them, in front of you." Samson's disembodied voice replied from the shadows, giving the eerie impression that he was everywhere at once. Maven smiled gleefully then, like a child getting an extra gift for his birthday, as he reached through the bars and ran a single finger down my cheek. His touch was like satin, and I yanked away from it in revulsion, disgust filling my whole being. I heard Cal growl from the ground then, his words clipped and hard, "Don't you touch her."

Maven blinked down at him in confusion and then replied with a bemused look, "Who's going to stop me, you?" He laughed and then smiling at me, he inquired, "You know the winning team when you see it, don't you Mare?"

I offered him the same feral smile he was giving me and replied dryly, "Of course I do, and I know that you are hardly the best option out there."

Maven's smile fell, and he grabbed the bars and pressed up against them like he had once done two years ago. His words that slipped through the bars were for me only, "I can save you, you know that. It's not too late Mare."

Narrowing my eyes, I leaned forward so that our foreheads were pressed against the bars together, and our lips were almost brushing. He seemed to shiver at my proximity, and I felt my stomach tighten with discomfort as I recognized that shiver. I did not care for him anymore, maybe once upon time I had cared about the shadow to the flame, but now, the shadow haunted my dreams and killed without mercy. It was not possible to love a monster like that. My lips curled as I whispered carefully, like a mother laying out the rules for her child, "I hate you Maven, I hate you more than I've hated anyone before in my life. You killed the people like me, you betrayed the only person in the world who loved you, and you didn't seem to care. Why should I bring myself down to your level?"

He seemed taken aback by my words, and ripping away from me like I had burned him, he growled down at his brother, "You've taken her from me now. You always take everything that's _mine_!"

"She belongs to neither of us. I thought she made that very clear before Maven." Cal whispered, his tone practically a warning, telling his brother exactly where the lines had been drawn. Maven ignored the cautionary words though, and continued his tirade, his eyes like ice as he crouched down next to his brother and spit, "They all love you. The Reds in the villages, in Gray Town, in my own capital! They adore you, screaming for the Traitor Prince, and the Little Lightening Girl to come save them from his murderer of a brother. How dare you make them love you, when you are nothing but a filthy traitor!" His last words he punctuated with a harsh slap across Cal's cheek. In response, Cal remained frozen, his eyes on the space to his left. He didn't move for a few seconds, until slowly, he glanced up at his brother once more.

His eyes were narrowed his eyes in response to Maven's accusation, but he didn't reply, his silence answer enough. I felt my throat close in fear for him, but I still managed to find my voice. "They love him because he proved that he cared about them, and not some stupid crown."

Maven flipped around on me, and pointing his finger threateningly at me, he spit, "Are you forgetting the bridge? When he choose that _stupid_ crown over you?" He was practically spitting as he spoke, and for a moment, I saw that madness that brewed beneath his skin. Years with a chip on his shoulder had turned him into something else, something that was not human.

"No, but I've started to realize that you believe the lies that you and your mother spun." I whispered carefully, sensing how thin of a line I was a walking. I was the one behind the bars, slightly safe from the snake in front of me. If I wasn't careful, Maven would flip around and take out his fury on Cal. He laughed wickedly, his head falling back so that his cackle echoed through the bars and reverberated back to us. When he had lowered his head, he beckoned Samson forward and hissed, "We'll see how much you love him when he's nothing but a shadow."

My heart leaped into my throat as Samson brought a small, ornate wooden box forward. Cal looked at it warily as it passed from Samson's hands to Maven's, and Maven turned away to open it gingerly and say, "We've been working on this for almost two years now, but seeing as we're not getting anywhere with it, I might as well use it for what it has been doing."

When he turned around, he was holding a small syringe in his hand, with a clear liquid floating inside. Cal bucked immediately, his eyes confused and worried at the same time. Maven smiled down at him and continued, "I've tested it on hundreds of people like you, Mare. Sadly, it never fulfilled its original purpose." He shrugged and then began to turn the syringe over in his fingers. "But it will suit my needs now. You see, this little vial carries a very special little alloy, that is in these very walls. It wraps itself around your DNA and blocks the gene that produces our abilities. Originally, I had hoped to rip the abilities of every new blood away, but it seems that this serum only kills them. Some lasted longer than others, depending on how young they were, which version of the serum we used, et cetera, et cetera. This here, is the strongest dose we concocted."

He tilted his head to the side and then lifted the syringe so that it glinted in the gloom and then glancing down at Cal, he smiled wickedly. "We'll see what it does to Silvers."

I let out a scream of agony and pressed against the bars, trying to reach through them for Cal who tried to yank away from the men holding him in place. I felt my eyes leaking hot tears down my cheeks as I begged pathetically, "Please, Maven, please! Don't do this!"

He crouched down, and clutched the back of Cal's neck so that his brother's head stopped moving. I watched as he met his brother's eye and grabbed Cal's hair in a tight fist. For a moment, they looked a painting I had once seen in the books that Julian had showed me. The light from the torch fell upon both of them, and in a strangely prophetic moment, they were both the flame, the same side of the same coin. The crown glinted though, and the moment was lost to eternity as Maven shifted and clutched the syringe tighter in his fingers. His expression was almost sad as he leaned in close to whisper in Cal's ear. "For my mother. Goodbye… brother."

Cal's eyes widened in surprise, and he froze. The moment he was still, Maven jammed the needle into his arm and pressed down. I let out a cry of pain, and watched as Maven slowly pressed his forehead to Cal's and whispered something else that I didn't catch. Slowly he broke away, and I watched as Cal looked up at him in horror. The only sound was the dripping of water from a distance, and the rustle of fabric as Maven rose to his feet.

When nothing happened for a full minute, I allowed myself a breath of air, and Cal blinked a few times before grinning up at Maven and murmuring, "Looks like it doesn't work."

I let out a shaky laugh, and glanced at Maven who was still grinning. He turned to set the syringe in the box again and met Samson's eye. The older man smiled wickedly and then snapped the box closed, as if he were sealing a pact. My smile slowly began to fall as I took in their reaction, and with that hesitant feeling bubbling up inside of me, I looked down at Cal again. Nothing appeared to be happening, he looked perfectly fine. Maybe Maven was wrong, maybe it only killed New Bloods? In that case, I might be the next one to be put under its influence.

Suddenly, Cal's triumphant grin began to drop, and he crumpled until he was doubled over. Maven turned around at the shuddering gasp that escaped his brother's body, and looked down with disdain at the man who he had once thought was above him. My eyes dropped back down to Cal who had started gasping and shaking, forcing the Sentinels to let go of him in surprise. He let out a cry of agony and I saw the muscles in his arm bulging as he convulsed. He was hunched over, his chin bent to his chest, and as he let out animalistic cries of pain, I sank down to my own knees. My grip on the bars was loosening in shock, and my own chest was heaving with sobs as I tried to desperately reach through the bars for him.

My eyes widened in horror when I saw the spidery lines that were running up Cal's neck. Like black ink, the serum was pumping through his veins and slowly consuming his blood. His convulsions became frantic, and he ended up collapsing onto his side. His mouth was opening and closing in gasps for air, and his eyes were wide in pain as he met my own. I watched in horror as he tried to say something, before his back arched and his head fell backwards so that a choked cry escaped past his lips. The Sentinels continued to back away, the first inklings of terror on their face as they looked down at someone like them, reacting to a product that obviously they thought they were safe from.

Slowly, after what felt like hours of watching Cal struggle, he fell to stillness, and his jaw went slack. A dribble of the black liquid from inside his veins ran down his chin and landed on the dirt floor. I was silent for a moment, my heart constricted and my throat closed in desperation. I held my breath, waiting for a sign that he was still alive. He didn't so much as blink. I couldn't breathe in that moment, couldn't scream, couldn't do anything but stare in horror as tears rushed down my face. Cal's convulsions had brought him closer to me, and I could see what would normally be the whites of his eyes stained silver as vessels had ruptured in them. The black liquid had polluted his veins so thickly that they stood out against his skin and looked like long, branching black tattoos racing up his arms and ending at his temples. He looked like a corpse, but I thought I saw a flicker of life in his eyes still. I latched onto that hope desperately, hoping that it hadn't just been my panicked mind trying to assure me that he wasn't dead.

There was silence for a moment, and then I reached out, my fingertips barely brushed his cheek, and I let out a sob as I whispered his name softly. I was so used to feeling the heat that radiated off of him, but now, there was a static cool that reminded me vaguely of boiling water that had suddenly frozen. Maven's cloak brushed over Cal's face, and my head snapped up in disgust as I looked at him. For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of pain in his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as every emotion he ever showed. He motioned for one of the Sentinels to approach, and then ordered for them to check for a pulse. The man crouched down and slowly pressed two fingers to the skin at the base of Cal's jaw. His expression was neutral for a few seconds until he let out an exclaimed, strangled gasp and whispered in awe, "He's alive, barely, but he definitely has a pulse your Highness."

Maven flipped around in surprise and then pushing the man out of the way, he crouched down and pressed his own fingers into Cal's neck. His eyes widened in surprise and I heard him whisper breathlessly, "You son of a bitch, you survived."

Standing shakily, like he was looking at a ghost, Maven gestured to the Magnetron and ordered with a wavering voice, "Bring her out, she's coming with me, as for him," he glanced down at Cal once more and continued, his tone a little stronger, "Put him in the cell, and check up on him in a few hours. He probably won't make it through the night."

Nodding, the Sentinel opened the cell and I leaped forward before he could grab me, my hands flying to Cal's face as I bent over his body, trying to shield him from them. I pressed light kisses to his temple and choked his name between my kisses as I cried, "Hold on Cal, you have to stay with me, don't leave-"

The Sentinel yanked me off of him, and I let out a feral scream of protest, my nails raking through the air, but never making contact. They grabbed my wrists and shackled them again, forcing my hands behind my back in a sudden motion that jarred my shoulders. As they were doing this, I watched as Samson slowly reached into his pocket and handed Cal's bracelets to Maven. He looked at them for a moment, and then with a sneer, he shoved them in his pocket and turned on his heel.

With me stunned for a moment, the Sentinel was able to start dragging me after Maven who had started down the corridor at almost a sprint as if he were trying to get away from the situation as quickly as possible. Samson had stayed behind though, his expression curious as he looked down at Cal as he was dragged into the cell I had just occupied. He looked like a rag doll that had been emptied of it's stuffing, and was on the verge of falling apart.

I watched as they tossed him unceremoniously into the dirt, face down, as if he were really dead. I struggled against my captor upon seeing that, trying to fight my way back the way we had come, screaming his name all the while, like that would make a difference. The Sentinel was much stronger than me though, and he ended up manhandling me up the stairs after Maven to heaven only knew what fate.

 **A/N**

 **Ahahahahah, okay so I lied. This chapter was getting to be waaaaay to long so I split it into two (it was looking to be over 12,000 words), this is part one of the last real chapter. Anywho, hope you all enjoyed, not to much to say except sorry… but not really because I had been waiting to write this part for months. Hope you all enjoyed, see you in the next chapter lovelies!**

 **Question time!**

 **Any thoughts on the serum? We'll get to learn more about it in the next story too! (:**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

The guards left me with Maven in his rooms after the event in the cells. My wrists had been unshackled upon Maven's request, but my hands shook, and my mind was too wrapped up in what I had just witnessed to put together any sort of plan that would allow me to escape. I had been sat in a chair, and left alone until a maid had brought me a set of new clothes. They sat on the table, forgotten for the moment though, while I sat in my torn and bloody rags. I was frozen in shock, my eyes trained on a single spot by my feet. Maven had sat across from me for a few moments in the beginning, his eyes trained on my downward turned eyes as he waited for me to say something. The clock behind me had ticked away the time though, and after an hour of sitting in silence, Maven had risen and ordered someone to bring up food. I counted the soft clicks after that then, each one like a piece of Cal's soul that was slowly leaving this world to join his mother and father.

Now, Maven stood at the window, his back to me as he asked innocently, "Are you comfortable?"

For the first time since I had sat down in my chair, I raised my chin. Glaring at his back, I remained silent, choosing that approach versus saying something and bringing his wrath down on Cal again, not that it really mattered at this point. Cal was probably dead, and the last thing I would remember of him would be him dying a slow, agonizing death in front of me. I gripped the arms of the chair though, forcing my jaw to remain shut and not spit obscenities at Maven for what he had done. To distract myself, I turned to focus on the buzz of electricity from the cameras around us. No doubt Samson was watching this moment now, waiting for a chance to barge in and slaughter me. I hoped he did too, I hoped he came and killed me so that I could see Cal beyond the veil for just a second before we were separated for eternity. There would be no such thing as salvation for me, and I knew that. Cal had a chance though.

After my silence stretched for too long, Maven let his shoulders drop, and with a soft voice that I had once been so fond of, he said, "I knew you loved him, you know. I watched you two dance in that room."

I wanted to smile triumphantly, to laugh in his face at that fact, but I couldn't bring myself too. My mouth was glued shut with the horror I had just witnessed down in the cells. Glancing to my right, I saw the small tray that the young maid had brought up a few minutes ago, and my eyes settled on the glint of a small knife resting next to the plate of vegetable and meat. My heart leaped up into my throat at the sight of such an obvious mistake on Maven's part, and I felt the first inklings of a plan taking form as I stared at it. Maven interrupted my thoughts again though as he whispered, "It doesn't matter now though, the flame is finally gone. A silencer reported to me that there was nothing to Silence. The flame that you love so dearly in him is finally gone."

My heart squeezed in agony as I realized what he had meant. The serum that had failed Maven so spectacularly with Newbloods had finally succeeded with his brother. Cal had been stripped of the weapon that he had been born with, and now, he was a Silver in blood, but a Red in action. A Red, like I had once been, oh how the tables had turned. Squeezing my hands into fists at that thought, I whispered, "I didn't love him for his power, or his crown, and he felt the same way about me. We love each other because there is something there… something that can't be forced." I almost didn't add the last part, almost kept my mouth shut, but if Maven thought he could force any sort of pity out of me, he needed to know that I wouldn't give it. It was the third time I had spoken to him in months, how unfortunate for him that each time I spoke now, I stole a little more of the dream he had clung to so desperately. I had seen it in his eyes too, when I had first been brought into his rooms, and left there with him. He had been expecting me to launch myself into his arms and tell him how much I missed him. He was either delusional or insane if he thought I was going to do either though.

He turned slowly at my words though, his expression obscured by the rays of the sun as it set on the horizon. He chuckled lightly and then paced across the room to me, his expression curious as he asked, "Love? You two honestly think you love each other? Well, mark me down as amused and stunned." His laughter echoed around the room for a moment, until he grabbed the chair next to me and spun it around so that he was sitting and facing me. If anything, his posture gave away his true feelings though. His words masked how much my comment had burned his insides.

He leaned back comfortably in his chair though, as if he thought I was oblivious to the truth, and whispered softly, "He won't make it Mare, he has maybe an hour now. The Newbloods always had sometime after the serum reacted with their mutation. I assume the same would be no different with Silvers. We both have a mutation in our blood that separates us from the others."

"You're a monster." I spit, as fresh tears welled up in my eyes. I turned away to hide my weakness, but even as I closed my eyelids, I could still see Cal's eyes. The emptiness that had been behind his golden irises when the beautiful glow in them was gone. It had been like looking at a ghost, like looking at a shadow.

Maven leaped forward upon seeing my tears, and grabbing my hands in his own, he pressed his lips to my knuckles and whispered hurriedly, "No, no, everything I ever did was to get you back! Everything, the, the-"

" _Killings_ ," I spit, as I yanked my hands away and stumbled up, forcing him backwards until he fell and had to crawl backward to avoid me. Stepping closer to him, I forced him backwards, my hands lighting up with sparks as I choked, " _Children_ , Maven! Babies, toddlers, children! You killed them without a second glance! Your father, your own father who loved you! And-and your _brother_ , the only man who still gave a damn about your pathetic soul."

He scrambled back to avoid my rage and for a moment I had to pause, I had to let my words sink in. "He loved you Maven, even after everything you did. He dropped the shoot on sight order for you, because he wanted to speak with you, to try and fix this whole mess…"

My chest heaved for air, and for a moment, I saw a flash of agony cross Maven's features as he backed himself completely against the wall. I saw the broken boy from the shadows for a moment, and the sight of that brought tears to my eyes again, not tears of anger though, tears of regret. It was the most tragic thing in the world. He wanted to be loved, yet, he pointedly ignored everyone who did love him.

"He believed in you, even when no one else did. He made me believe there was still good in you for a little while, and I…I really believed him. I believed you were redeemable. Now I see you're nothing more than a _coward._ " I spit the word at him like a curse and then flipped around and stormed over to the little end table where the meal had been left. Gripping the edges like they could anchor me, I choked, "You killed him, you killed the last person that loved you, Maven. I hope you're happy now."

He sat silently in the corner, his ragged breathing the only sign that my words had sunk in. As I glanced at him over my shoulder, I saw him turn his face away to bury himself in his shoulder, as if he could hide from the truth that I had just spoken. I felt my lips pull up in the slightest of smiles then, as I slipped the knife off the tray and up my sleeve. The first part of my plan was complete, although I hadn't meant for it to start like this, I had to thank Maven for giving me the perfect set up.

After he had gathered himself, he stumbled to his feet, obviously still thinking he could salvage the situation as he said, "I can fix it though! I can make you Queen, the High Houses will do whatever I say. I'll make you happy again Mare!"

My lips pursed in disgust at the thought of being his Queen, and flipping around I advanced on him so that he backed up into his corner again. I could feel the cameras trained on us, and inwardly, I hoped they saw every second, saw how pathetic and weak their King really was.

When I was a hairsbreadth away from Maven, I slowly opened my hand to let the knife slide into my palm, but his eyes didn't leave my face as I growled, "I don't want to be your Queen, Maven. I want to be the person that puts you into your grave for all the terrible things you have done. I want to punish you for hurting me, for hurting your brother, and for hurting every person that you used like cannon fodder to get me out of hiding."

He swallowed heavily, and I stepped a little closer then, and with a panicked stare, he watched as I pinned him against the wall. He growled threateningly then and spit, "You have no weapon to fight me, don't entertain the notion you could ever win."

With a grin, I slammed the knife tip into the wall right next to his ear, making my point very clear with that action. His eyes widened at the fury behind my eyes and I whispered, "You might want to have a word with your guards, they seemed to have let this one slip by."

Slowly, I trailed the tip of the knife along his throat as I growled, "I want the antidote, and I want it now."

"What antidote?" He spit, his eyes following the glint of the knife in my hand. I hissed at his obstinance and then slammed the tip closer to his neck this time and screamed, "The antidote to the serum! I know you have one Maven, you're too much of a coward to make a weapon like that without having a way to undo its effects. WHERE IS IT?"

He flinched as the knife almost nicked his skin, and with a stammering voice he said, "I have it! It's in the drawer by my bed, there's enough in the vial for one dose."

"Go and grab it," I spit as I pushed him toward the bed and pressed the knife in his back. When he didn't move, I poked him and he yelped in surprise before rushing across the room. I followed after him, watching as he unlocked the drawer and reached into it to pull a tiny vial with a milky white liquid in it, tied onto a small chain so that it could be worn like a necklace. I snatched it out of his hand, the gears in my head turning as I tried to come up with a plan to get it down to the cells and into Cal. He wouldn't have long now, and there was no guarantee that this would work. I had to believe in my gut instinct though, and that was that Maven would be terrified that someone would use his own weapon against him. If this was the antidote though, then Cal needed it desperately, damn the consequences of using it before copies could be made. Cal needed it now.

"You'll never make it down to the cells," Maven whispered darkly, and I glared at him as he smiled wickedly, "The guards are probably on there way here now. You're game is up."

I clutched the antidote in my hand and spinning the knife into a backhand grip, I glanced down at it, my plan finally coming to a final flourish. It was simple really, and even if it didn't work out, it put me in place get rid of Maven.

I grabbed Maven's arm and spun him around so he was facing the door and I was behind him. I placed the point of the knife on his throat and dragging him down to my level, I whispered in his ear, "That's why you're going to get me down there."

He tensed in surprise, and with a knee to the back of his leg, I spit, "Go, start walking. I don't have all day."

He hesitated though, and then whispered, "We never tested the antidote Mare, there's no guarantees that it will work. In fact, even with a healer, his abilities may be permanently dormant."

I was silent again, and then with a slow inhale to center myself, I whispered, "That's better than him being dead."

With that we stumbled toward the door as the sun sent blinding ray across the room, bathing both of us in blood red. Outside the setting sun had slowly begun to stretch over Archeon, the light fading away as the seconds passed. Every second was like a pin in my mind though, urging me on faster, hissing that every second we wasted was another step that Cal took away from me. I shoved Maven forward after he had opened the door, my thoughts practically digging a knife in my back, as I forced him to go faster. I could feel time slipping away as we paced the hallway, and every step we took was agonizingly slow. I continued to nudge Maven though, hissing threats in his ear to make him move faster. He would hiss in pain every time when I nicked him with the knife, and threaten to kill me when all of this was over. I'm sure that to anyone watching, it was an amusing spectacle. The king, with his crown almost falling off his head, being led from behind by a Red girl who was good few inches shorter than him.

For a while, there were no guards, but I could feel the cameras following me as I forced Maven down the halls. Without a doubt, Samson was watching this, and planning where he could capture me. Until then though, I would get as far as I could. Because maybe, just maybe, I had a chance of this whole plan working. As we rounded the corner to the cells though, my luck ran out.

Four Sentinels stood at the ready, their eyes like pools of black as they stared me down from the entrance. I froze at the end of the hallway, and Maven snickered as he said, "I told you, I told you would never make it to the cells."

The first Sentinel stepped forward, holding his hand out to demand, "Come quietly, and your punishment will be mild compared to if you resist."

My hand shook for a moment as I looked around wildly, trying to determine an escape. The Sentinels' words kept ringing in my ear though, if I tried to escape, I would face a fate worse than death. I shivered at the thought, and the knife in my hand slipped, nicking Maven just enough to draw blood. The Sentinels leaped forward upon seeing their King bleed, and my eyes widened in surprise. They weren't in control of the situation, like I had originally thought. I was in control, with a knife at Maven's throat.

Straightening my shoulders and stealing my resolve, I shouted, "Let me through, or I'll slit his throat!"

There was dead silence, broken only by Maven's sharp inhale when I pressed the sharp blade to the artery in his neck. The Sentinels remained frozen in place, their eyes trained on the knife in my hand.

When they didn't move, I pressed the tip of the knife into Maven's jaw, slicing it open slightly. The blood that poured out brought hysteria to the Sentinel's eyes, and I screamed again, "Move, Or I'll kill him!"

"Do as she says!" Maven orders, his panic only obvious in his voice. He had underestimated how badly I wanted to get down to those cells, and how far I was willing to go to do so. His words worked like magic too, because the Sentinels practically leaped out of the way to create a path down the steps. I exhaled in relief and then nudged Maven forward, glaring at the guards who had been staring me down.

At the entrance, I glanced them over one last time and then spit, "I need a Magnetron, which one of you is one?"

They shared a suspicious glance, that I broke off by digging the knife tip into Maven's neck once more. His strangled cry of surprise forced them into action, and one man stepped forward. I wrapped Maven's neck in the crook of my elbow and pointing the knife at the guard I spit, "Go down first and open the cell with the Prince in it."

He stepped ahead of me, and I turned to watch the other guards as I slowly backed into the shadowy alcove. They wouldn't follow me, not while I had their King in a choke hold, with a knife on his throat. At most, they would go to get help, and be waiting for me at the top of the stairs. I would need to find another way out at that point. For the moment though, I was consumed with just getting down to Cal, and keeping Maven under control. He had started to squirm in my grip, and I was forced to tighten it to keep him from getting away. The steps were slippery though, and I was forced to focus more on my footing and less on him, so that I didn't go tumbling down the stairs and smash my head into the stone.

The Sentinel waited at the base of the stairs until he could see me through the gloom before slowly edging toward the cell that Cal was being held in. I flipped Maven around then, so that he was walking forward once more, and I could watch the Sentinel in front of me. He watched me with steel grey eyes like Ptolemus and Evangeline, and I took a swinging guess with my next order when I hissed, "As soon as he is out of the cell, you will lock yourself inside Sentinel Samos."

His eyes flared up at the use of his name, and with a sneer that I could see behind his mask, he spit, "As you wish."

We approached the cell, and when I stopped in front of it, I saw that Cal had shifted slightly so that wasn't lying face down anymore, but on his side. Maven squirmed in my arms, in a desperate attempt to break free, but I tightened my hold and screamed, "Open the cell!"

The Sentinel peeled the bars back, and with an unceremonious tug, dragged Cal out of it by his feet and into the dirt of the hallway. Then, following my order, he stepped in and enclosed himself in the bubble created by the Silent Stone. His eyes were murderous as he stared me down, and I held his glare until he stepped back into the shadows to watch what came next.

I threw Maven to the ground then and collapsed to my knees next to Cal. Maven crawled away from us in the dirt, until he was pressed against the other bars. He didn't try to leave though, no doubt because he could sense my eyes on him like a hawk as I crouched over Cal.

Slowly, I turned my full attention on Cal though, and with a soft exhale, I bent over him and placed my ear next to his lips to try and tell if he was breathing. There was a pained exhale that barely stirred the hairs next to me ear, but it was a breath nonetheless. As soon as I felt it, I turned my head to press a kiss against Cal's cheek, whispering, "It's going to be okay, I have the antidote, you're going to be okay."

I turned the vial over in my hand, and then wrapped my arm under Cal's shoulders to lift him up. Even after all the weight he had lost, he was still heavy, and I grunted as I forced him to sit up and lean against me slightly. Grabbing the stopper of the vial between my teeth, I ripped it out and then spit it into the darkness. Then, with an encouraging whisper, I placed the vial on Cal's lips and tipped it back, urging him to swallow. The liquid filled his mouth though, and a few precious drops dribbled out down his chin. I dropped the vial to the dirt floor, and choked, "No, Cal you have to swallow, swallow it Cal!"

I tilted his head back, trying to force the liquid down the back of his throat. Nothing happened though, and I sobbed in frustration as I tried to get him to swallow it again. He might have been too far gone though, and couldn't muster the strength to perform such a simple task. He collapsed forward as my grip slipped, and I caught him on my shoulder, as I sobbed into his neck, "Cal, please."

With my lips pressed to his neck, I felt him swallow, and I let out a soft joyful sob as he finally obeyed my command. He exhaled weakly, and I knotted my fingers in his hair as I held him close and promised that everything was going to be okay. It wasn't though, because now, I had no way to get us out. The antidote was not a magical cure either, from what I could tell. It was going to take a while for it to pump itself through Cal's system and cure him. It would be too much to hope that Cal would be able to make it up the stairs and then out to a truck that I would have no idea how to steal.

And that strange static cool under his skin was still there. He felt oddly cold in my arms, and for a moment, I thought about what would happen if the change was permanent. If he never could conjure up his flame ever again, he would be a Red, a plain simple Red with the mind of a military genius who could save the Guard. He could be the man my father thought that I would marry. A military man who was plain and simple and who could be normal. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I shied away from the thought of that future, of babies with amber eyes, who couldn't call lightning to their will, and who couldn't create infernos with their thoughts. In that future, Cal would be miserable without his fire, he would be cold and pained. I couldn't live with that, but if I had to, I would, and I would try to keep some form of the spark alive in his soul.

From the end of the hallway, I could hear shouts, and with a shuddering exhale, I lifted my head to watch the Sentinels descend upon us. There were no shadows signaling their arrival though, and the only sound that could be heard, were shouts, as if from a battle. As the sounds got closer, Maven leaped to his feet, probably prepared to make a run for the shield that his soldiers provided, like the coward he was.

The only Sentinel that came down though, was a man with half of his armor crushed in. He collapsed down the stairs with his neck bent at an awkward angle that suggested his killer had not been gentle. I watched as shadows followed him, and then grabbing my knife off the floor, I gripped it tightly in my hand, and held Cal tighter to me, prepared to defend both of us from death. What, or rather, who came down the stairs was completely unexpected though.

Shade arrived at the bottom most step, panting with exhaustion as he leaned against the wall for support. He took the whole situation in, and then his eyes landed on Maven, who was gaping like a fish, at a loss for what had just happened. He had been expecting his men to come rushing down the stairs and rescue him, and yet, here was my rescuer. Shade looked a little broken though, with his hand clutching his ribs, but he was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.

I let out a sob upon seeing him and then managed to say around the emotion that was lodged in my throat like a knife, "Shade, what are you doing here?"

He smirked, and then waving his hand like it wasn't a big deal, he said, "Saving your sorry asses again. Apparently it's all that I'm good for." With that, he walked towards us, favoring one of his legs over the other as he tried to speed up his pace. He crouched down over Cal and then glancing him over warily, he whispered, "What happened?"

"There's no time to explain, take him though, I'll grab Maven." I ordered, before practically throwing Cal into his arms. My brother stumbled with Cal's dead weight, and then lifted him to his feet, telling him to try and stand up. While he struggled with Cal, I grabbed Maven by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him toward me so that he couldn't escape. He struggled against me, and with a clatter almost like music, his crown tumbled off of his head and fell into the dirt. We both looked at it for a moment, neither of us entirely sure what to think of this strange moment. The last time that crown had rolled across the floor, it had landed at Maven's feet, but now, it rolled toward mine and came to a rest near my toes. It glinted pathetically in the low light, and with a sneer, I kicked the stupid thing farther down the hallway. It didn't deserve any special treatment. It had trapped Cal in a path that he had never wanted, it had separated the two of us, and it had torn two brother's apart. If anything, it deserved to be melted down and turned into scrap metal.

Maven let out an exhale of surprise at my action, that I pointedly ignored in favor of yanking him toward the stairs. Shade waited at the base, and then glancing at me with eyes that were darkened by the torch behind him, he said, "Chelsea, Oscar, and Maggie are at the top of the stairs waiting for us. They'll lead us to the bridge."

"Why are we going to the bridge?" I asked stupidly, only to hear Chelsea shouting for Shade at the top of the stairs. His eyes shifted toward the sound immediately, and then nudging me up the stairs he hissed, "You'll understand when we get there."

I shoved Maven ahead of me then, holding my knife at his throat again. He stumbled going up the stairs though, and I was forced to drop the knife and just cling to his collar so that he didn't try to run away. Behind me, Shade had Cal's arm wrapped around his shoulders and he was urging his friend up the stairs, as Cal tried to stumble after him. I glanced over my shoulder at him then, and saw that his eyes were open, but glassy, and he looked like he was having a hard time keeping them open. At least he was conscious at this point though. The antidote was doing its job finally, and he looked like he was on his way to recovery.

At the top of the stairs, Chelsea was standing with her hands out in front of her, trying to keep a shield up to protect herself, Maggie, and Oscar. The three of them glanced back as we came up next to them, and Oscar let out a startled cry when he saw me pushing Maven in front of me. He wasn't the only one to hesitate either. Just like when I had come around the corner with Maven earlier, the Sentinels waiting for us stopped fighting, their eyes trained on the king they were supposed to be protecting. I put the knife back at Maven's neck and then whispered to Chelsea, "They won't fight as long as I have him like this, go ahead of me and help Shade with Cal."

She nodded and then ducked behind me to slip Cal's other arm over her shoulders so that she was another support beam keeping him on his feet. He grumbled that he could walk just fine, only to get a snort from Maven who hissed, "You can barely keep your eyes open."  
I drove my knee into the back of his leg and hissed, "And don't forget who did this to him, your Highness."

He at least had the good grace not to cry out when I obviously injured him, but that didn't mean that I was happy with his silence. He was going to pay for all of this, as soon as we were out of this palace, he was going to pay. He had wanted to hang my body up for the country to see, well, I would hold his head on a spike for it to see as well.

With that thought, I smiled and then whispered in his ear, "We're going for a little trip Mavey, you, me, and Cal. You're going to be the chip that wins us this war."

He hissed in fury, as I yanked him toward what I believed was the exit. The guards took, a step forward, but Maggie held her hand out, forcing the first row to their knees, her eyes like hard glass as she whispered, "There's too many of them for me to hold off for long."

Oscar stepped up next to her, waving his hand across the floor, taking some of the water on the floor that he must have brought with him, and melded it into a shield that obscured the Silver's view of us. For a moment, I was in awe of how brave they all were. The four of them had stormed Archeon together, and had managed to not only rescue us, but also plan how to get us out. I couldn't have been more proud in that moment.

The feeling vanished though, when a shrill alarm went off, alerting the entire palace to our location and what we were doing. Shade cursed loudly, and then taking quick steps with Cal and Chelsea he said, "Farley won't be able to make it to us in time if we have a bunch of soldiers on our backs."

"She's on her way now," Maggie stated simply as she ran to keep up with us, her short legs and blind eyes making it difficult without Oscar running next to her to keep her on the right path. "She overheard that Mare had gotten out over the radio, and she started toward the bridge immediately. She's at the least ten minute from the spot where were meeting her at."

"Then we better hurry," Cal whispered breathlessly as he tried to keep up with Shade, his jaw set tight around the pain he was obviously feeling. His breathing was still erratic as we ran through the hallways, but he at least had the sense to shout left and right when we took obviously wrong turns. I cut down a hallway, leading the way with Maven as my shield, and he instantly shouted, "Your other left, Mare!"

I hissed and shoved Maven ahead of me, who laughed at the pathetic attempt we were making at the moment, which only made me even more furious. If he thought that we weren't going to make it, then he was wrong. I would drag his carcass behind me if I had to, and I would crawl my way out of Archeon if it meant that I would get to kill him with my own hands.

We paused for a moment to let Cal catch his breath, and for me to get a better grip on Maven while we assessed the situation. At that moment, I reached into Maven's pockets and pulled out Cal's bracelets, the normally shiny metal was dull with use and age now. I tossed them to him, and he caught them almost gingerly before sliding them on and whispering, "If you're trying to make it to the bridge, we're going to have to take another route, because the Sentinels will be waiting for us at the main doors."

Shade sighed and then taking his pistol out, he said, "What's new Calore?"

Cal smiled weakly, leaning against the wall, as he rocked on his own feet. He caught himself and then held his hand out, his eyes narrowing on the skin of his palm. He flicked his wrist like he normally did to conjure up a spark, but he hissed in pain as the sparks danced across his skin, and then clutched his hand to his middle. I glanced over in fear before whispering, "What is it?"  
"I-I can't…" he glanced at his hand again, where a dark red welt was starting to take shape from when the sparks had danced across his skin for a second, but had never caught, light a lighter that was out of fluid. Shade's eyes widened, and Oscar leaped forward pulling water out of the small bottle he carried, and began to wrap it around Cal's hand like a bandage. My eyes widened, as I realized what this meant. Cal had no fire, the antidote wasn't working.  
Maven snickered next to me, and then whispered, "I told you."

I flipped around on him and then taking the knife, I went to drive it into his chest, to end his existence permanently. Chelsea caught my wrist though, shouting, "Mare stop! We need him for information!"  
"I'll kill you for this," I snarled as I grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him down to my level, "I'll rip your insides out and scatter them across your precious throne room!"  
"So aggressive Mare," Maven chided, his icy blue irises winking with malice, as he took in my fury. How dare he be pleased with what he had done! He'd ripped my life apart, killed hundreds maybe thousands of people, and stolen the one thing his brother had left of his true right as a Prince. His lips seemed to quirk up too, as he recognized the hatred that fueled my irises, because dammit that same fire blazed in his own. I refused to be Maven though, so inhaling sharply through my nose to calm down, I glared him down and said to Shade, "Take Maven, Shade, I'll take Cal with Chelsea."

My brother nodded, and then grabbing Maven's arm he whispered, "Right this way your Highness."

He started to yank him down the hallway, leading the way with Maggie on his heels and Oscar followed not far behind. Chelsea checked behind us for a moment, while I slowly stepped up next to Cal. He was staring at his hands as if they were foreign to him, with such a painful expression that it ripped at my heart. I gently took his hand in mine, feeling the strange coldness there, before whispering, "It doesn't matter, you're still you Cal, and we need you right now."  
His eyes slowly lifted to meet mine, and then with a tight nod, he let me slip under his arm to support him when he stumbled. Chelsea took up her original place as well, and then whispered, "Let's get you out of here Cal."

He nodded weakly, and then let us start to lead him down the hallway. Shade was a good few meter in front of us, holding Maven by his collar and leading him like a dog while Maggie sprinted next to him, her hand on his hip so that he could guide her. Oscar wasn't far behind, his water rising up like shields in the doorways to block anyone from coming through after us. I called my sparks to life as well when I started to hear the shouts following us. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a few Sentinels gaining on us. With a sneer, I threw a blast of lightning in their direction, throwing them all to the ground. Cal suddenly stumbled over his feet though, and fell, taking me and Chelsea with him.

I hit the floor hard, biting my tongue and cheek so hard that the sharp tang of blood filled my mouth. Chelsea cried out as she fell and slid a few feet in front of us, and I scrambled to Cal, who was on his hand and knees, clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick.

"Cal," I hissed as I tried to pull him to his feet, "Cal you need to get up!"  
He shook his head weakly, and then coughed for a second, splattering Silver blood on the floor in front of him. My eyes widened, and I screamed at Shade to stop. I heard his boots skid on the floor as he turned to see what the problem was, and I heard Maven let out a chocking gasp as the collar of his shirt cut into his throat with Shade's sudden stop. I crouched over Cal who was heaving for breath, and clutching his middle again. He let out a chocked gasp underneath my hands, and then groaned softly.

Oscar made a move to come back, but I shouted at him to stay put. Chelsea leaped behind us, erecting a shield to try and give the illusion that we weren't there. If more guards came running by though, they would literally run into invisible version of us, and we would be given away immediately.

"Cal, get up!" I screamed again, urging him to his feet, but as soon as my hands closed around his arm, I let out a cry of pain and pulled away, looking at my hands which were bright red. He felt like he was on fire, like his very skin was made of flame. Maven looked back at us curiously, his eyes wide as he took in his brother, who had slowly collapsed onto his side and was chocking for air. Chelsea glanced back at us, her eyes wide and fearful as she took in the man who had taught her everything she knew slowly withering away on the floor.

At the end of the hallway though, a group of Sentinels came running at us, along with a horde of Silver court members, dressed for battle. I let out a hiss of fury, and then stealing myself, I wrapped my arms around Cal's and yanked him to his feet. His skin burned mine where it touched, but I set my jaw tightly as he put all his weight on me, and took a heavy steps forward to try and expand the distance between us and the Silvers. Chelsea tried to slip under his other arm, and let out a soft squeak of pain when it burned her as well. But she shouldered his weight as well, and the two of us, slowly dragged Cal down the hallway after Shade and the others who had started to move again.

I threw a blind bolt of lightning over my shoulder, and earned a cry of surprise from the Silvers as they paused their advancement to avoid my blast. I grunted as I turned around, and then urged Cal on, who looked to be on the verge of losing consciousness again. I had no idea where this whole thing was coming from, but judging by how long it was, it might have been the antidote. Was it killing him though, or saving him at this point?

As we went to round another corner, Maggie stopped dead and screamed, "Stop!"  
It was too late though, we rounded it, and faced Samson and a whole group of Sentinels standing in front of the doors that led out into the courtyard and to the doors that offered freedom. We came to a halting stop, and the older man smiled as he took us all in, his eyes observing each and every one us like we were mice and he was the cat casing us through a maze.

Maven let out a gasp of relief and then said, "Samson, thank God, I thought that you wouldn't come."

Samson's eyes flashed to Maven for a moment, took in his position with Shade, and then glanced beyond them at me. I shifted Cal slowly, and as he observed my movement and the determination that was lighting my eyes with fire, he smiled slowly. Tilting his head to the side, he said, "Where would you all be going?"

"Get out of the way or we'll kill you," I spit, only to earn a chuckle from him, as he looked us all over once more. Behind him, his soldiers, dressed in the same uniforms as the men who had stormed the Samos estate, stood a stiff attention but made no move to step forward and save their king. Maven tensed in surprise at his uncle's lack of movement, and then shouted, "Samson, help me!"

The older man's eyes narrowed as he took his nephew in, and then with a sneer he said, "How pitiful, your mother raised you to be a pathetic little mewling creature, who couldn't do anything on his own, even if his own life depended on it. After hearing how you handled your assent to King, I would have thought you would be better than this, but now I see you're no better than your miserable father."

Maven looked like he had just been slapped across the face, and I felt my lips curl up in a smile at the words that Samson spoke. I couldn't have put it better myself. Samson sighed though, as if he were about to do something he regretted and then raised his hand as if to give an order. I tensed, awaiting the call to fire, but it never came. Instead, Samson slowly gestured for his guards to step aside, and then he took a small step to the side as well, allowing us the chance to pass.

My eyes widened in surprise and confusion, as Maven let out a scream of fury and shouted, "What are you doing? You're a traitor to your King!"

Samson smiled wickedly and then whispered, "I apologize _Prince_ Maven, but the only King in this hall, is me."

The hall was deathly silent, broken only by the rushed gasps of agony and surprise that Maven let out. My heart hammered in my chest, as the words that had been ingrained my mind since the Silver Court played on repeat, _anyone can betray anyone._

Behind us, I heard Ptolemus' battle cry as he led his troop toward our position, and with a chocked gasp, I shouted at Shade to run. He grabbed Maven by the collar again, and then started to sprint for the stairs into the courtyard, followed by Maggie and Oscar. I was not far behind either, trying to shoulder Cal who was slowly falling deeper and deeper into the effects of the antidote. Samson's hand snaked out as I went to pass, and grabbed my arm though, halting my progress and Chelsea's. I froze in terror, thinking he was going to rip me away from the others and keep me as a prize, but as his icy eyes beat into mine and he whispered, "We'll see each other again very soon Little Lightning Girl, and when we do, I suggest you be a little better prepared. It's no fun to win if your opponent can't even put up a fight."

I set my jaw tightly and then narrowing my eyes, I ripped my arm from his grip and started down the stairs with Chelsea who was demanding to know what Samson had said to me. I couldn't tell her though, and I would never tell anyone, maybe not even Cal, who actually should know. Samson's warning had been for me and me only, and without a doubt, I knew he was right. We would meet again, and very soon, because I would be coming with the Guard to rip the crown of his head and put it on Cal's.

The courtyard was empty as we sprinted through it, and ahead of me, I saw Shade make it through the doors with a struggling Maven. Chelsea and I broke the perimeter as well, and as we stepped onto the bridge, I could almost see the fire that had been set to it two years ago, and the faint mirage of a Prince standing before those flames, about to be betrayed by the woman he was slowly falling in love with, and his brother.

Shade paused at the highest point of the bridge, waiting for us, shouting at us to hurry. We caught up with him, and as soon as we were close enough, he began to tell us that Farley was coming, we only needed to buy a few seconds of time until she was here. I glanced beyond him though, and saw the platform on the other side, slowly filling up with Silvers who were running at us from town.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Ptolemus coming for us as well, his soldiers not far behind. Shade noticed this too though, because he spit a curse word before slowly climbing up onto the hip high wall that separated us from a good forty foot drop. I looked at him in terror and then shouted, "Are you out of your mind Shade? Get down from there!"  
He smiled at me and then whispered, "Farley's waiting at the bottom, we just have to jump."

My eyes widened in surprise, as I leaned over the edge to see what was down there, but all I saw was the murky blue water that was churning with a spring storm that was about to start. With a smile, Shade grabbed Maven and yanked him up onto the railing as well. He grabbed Maggie as well to help her up and then said, "Don't let go of my hand Maggie."

The little girl nodded tightly, and then squeezed her eyes shut, as if that would hide the fact that she was about to go against her deepest fear. Chelsea helped me pull Cal up onto the railing, and setting my hand on his chest to support him, I whispered in his ear, "Cal we have to jump into the river, it's going to be okay though, I'm here, I won't let go."

As if he only heard the first part of my sentence, he bucked and tried to fight me. I held tight though, and then glanced over my shoulder at Ptolemus who was almost to us, his irises furious as he took us in.

"Go!" Shade shouted as he jumped off the ledge, taking Maggie and Maven with him. Maggie screamed as they fell, and flayed in the air, her tiny arms and legs going in a four different directions as she tried to stop the feeling in the pit of her stomach that came from falling. Oscar followed, and with a cry I leaped off with Chelsea. We all tumbled though the air, the force of gravity taking us toward the churning water. I didn't even have time to scream, it was so fast. We all hit at different angles, with Chelsea being thrown away from with the impact. I held on desperately to Cal though, terrified of losing him the dark waters that we had entered.

The others had vanished in the gloom as Cal's dead weight took us deeper. I wrapped my arms underneath his own in a hold that Kilorn had taught me, and then with a kick tried to propel us up. I wasn't strong enough though, and we only continued to sick deeper, with me furiously trying to swim up. My lungs burned with a need for oxygen, but the surface continued to pull further away as I continued to kick and flail one of my arms uselessly. I slowly began to struggle less though, and it was then that I saw the bullets that were entering the water, like tiny silver fish skimming across the surface. For a moment, I thought that they would penetrate deep enough to hit us, but eventually that thought left my mind and all I could think about was how cold the water was, and how still Cal was in my arms.

Suddenly, another set of hands had grabbed me from behind, and my eyes flew open in surprise as I went to scream. I released the last of my air in a stream of silver bubbles, only to see another figure with shaggy clothing swimming toward us, and grabbing Cal to pull him to the surface. The Guard members swam up toward the surface, and when we broke it, I inhaled sharply, coughing on water as they helped me swim toward the massive metal structure that had risen out of the water mysteriously. Shade was standing on it, firing round after round at the men on the bridge, with Farley behind him, aiming more for the men on the sides to keep them from coming into the water after us.

The men helping us lifted Cal up only for two more to bend down and pull him up onto the metal surface. The one helping me shouted and pointed to a small ladder that was on the side, which was really just four metal poles bent into handles. I grabbed them desperately though, and floundered to reach the higher ones before I pulled myself up onto the top of the massive cylinder of metal. Farley glanced back as I sloshed across the top of it toward Cal, who was lying on his back with one of the soldiers pushing against his chest, trying to give him some form of rudimentary compressions.

I shoved him out of the way though, and then set my hands on Cal's chest, calling my sparks to my fingertips. They lit up with my electricity, and his body jerked with the force, before he coughed up the water he had swallowed and opened his eyes to look up at the pale blue spring sky. I let out a chocking sob, and then wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him close as I whispered sweet nothings into his ear. His body burned where it pressed up against mine, and I could feel the steam that was rising off of him as the water evaporated off of his burning skin.

The antidote must have been working, it was the only explanation at this point, and for a moment, I was thankful to the Silver doctors I had always hated. I didn't get to celebrate long though, because Farley grabbed my arm and went to pull me to my feet while Shade and another solider lifted Cal to his.

"Continue the love fest inside Barrow, we need to get out of here now!" She hollered as she pushed me toward a small raised cylinder, that another man's head was poking out of. He waved us in, and I glanced down into the hole only momentarily before grabbing the ladder and starting down. Farley stayed up top, continuing to provide cover fire, while Shade climbed down.

I landed on the metal floor, and then squinted up from the darkness to watch as the Guardsmen lowered Cal down to Shade, who held his hand up and supported his friends until they were close enough to the bottom. After he was about three fourths of the way from the bottom, he let Cal drop for me to catch him.

Cal's weight took up both down, but I held him desperately to my chest, before burying my face in his soaking wet hair and pressing soft kisses to his hairline. Shade leaped down the last few rungs and then helped Farley down, who had closed the door and sealed us in darkness.

At the bottom, the two of them began to argue, about where to go, where we could escape to without leading the Silvers back to Tuck, and in my dazed and heart pounding state, I shouted, "Take us down toward the Wash, there's a place we can hide."

Farley flipped around to look at me and then spit, "There's nothing there but nuclear wasteland, actual wasteland, not like Narcery wasteland."

"No, there's an estate, the Lerolan estate. Cal's uncle is there, and so is his grandmother. They'll help us, just take us down toward where the Prince River meets the sea. There's a bay there and I can contact Julian and let him know we're coming." I ordered as I slowly tried to pull Cal to his feet. He groaned at having to take most of his weight, and almost fell forward again, only to have me catch him.

Farley frowned for a moment, and then glanced at Maven off to the side, who was being held at bay by Maggie, who was looking him over and murmuring to herself.

"And the King?" Farley asked, as if she weren't surprised to see him again. I shrugged as I guided Cal away from the tighter area and replied, "If you have those cuffs that Hector used, that would be a nice touch."

She smiled at my thought process, and then glanced at Shade who also smiled and then walked passed me to grab Maven's arm. For a moment, he looked relieved to be getting away from the strange child in front of him, only to realize it was my brother holding onto his arm. Shade pulled him down the tight hallway, without saying a word, while Maven glared at me over his shoulder and spit, "You'll hang for this Barrow! You and my brother will both hang for this!"

"Honestly, your Highness, you're in no position to be making threats." Farley replied with a honey tone, before glancing back and me and then nodding over her shoulder in the opposite direction. I trailed after her, trying to keep Cal's head bent down so that he didn't smack it against the pipes above our heads. As we went, hopefully toward a medical bay, Farley asked, "What happened?"

"We found out what the serum is." I whispered cautiously, causing Farley to stop and flip around, her eyes glancing over Cal fearfully. "It… it does this?"

"No, this is what the antidote does, which I used… all of… before we could make copies…" I trailed off, as Farley's lips twisted up in what could have only been a look of utter disappointment. She relied on me to be a soldier, not a lover, but in that moment in Maven's rooms, I had realized that I couldn't live without Cal. If he would have died in those cells, I would have willingly let Maven kill me, and I was nowhere near good to Farley when I was dead.

She seemed to realize this thought process, because her expression softened, before she sighed and then gesturing for me to follow her. As we walked, I asked, "How did you know to come after us?"

"Well, Barrow, I took a wild guess."

My brow raised and she rolled her eyes at my gullibility before stating, "Your brother saw you two get captured, and then reported it to me. Practically begged me over the radio to send back up to get you two. Those three members of your Legion had already been with him and were all prepared to storm the damn palace without an exit strategy." She paused for a moment, and opened the door to a room with multiple cots in it, and then gestured for me to set Cal on one of them. I trudged into the room and then unceremoniously dumped his body into the nearest one. He groaned at the shift and sudden jerk, and I apologized softly, before taking the wet cloth Farley offered me and wiping at his head.

"After that, I offered to make a quick pick up. I just thought that we would be able to head back to Tuck after this."

"Is Evangeline there?"

"Yes, she was trying to get on the damn mission when I was leaving, but one of the medics… I think it was Garrett, stopped her. Practically took a knife through the chest for his troubles too." Her lips curled up in a smile, and I snorted to hide my laughter as I imagined a five foot five Garrett trying to fend off Evangeline. Farley sober immediately though and then asked, "What does the serum do though Barrow?"

I tensed, and then wiped at the sweat forming on Cal's brow again. "It kills New Bloods, but it was developed to strip them of their abilities. I have a feeling Maven was trying to form an army out of them. Take their abilities, make them into obedient soldiers, and then give the abilities back with the antidote, like a rite of passage."

Farley huffed in disgust and then said, "Serves him right that it didn't work."

"Farley it does work, just not on New Bloods." I hissed fearfully, before glancing back at Cal, the subject of my thoughts. He was grimacing in pain and breathing harshly through his teeth. Farley seemed to take the hint, because she frowned deeply and then said, "And Samson Merandus is now in charge of it, lovely."

I nodded weakly, remembering Samson's words upon our parting. _We'll see each other again very soon Little Lightning Girl._ I shivered unconsciously at those words, before setting my hand on Cal's forehead. I ripped it away though, and shook it to try and cool off my own skin. He was running a dangerously high fever, and I was certain that that was the cause of his distress and pain. Farley cleared her throat after my silence, and then with a nod she said, "We'll set a course for this estate of yours then. I'll send Shade down here to bring you up to the bridge in a little bit so that you can send a transmission to whoever it is that's expecting us."

I merely nodded to show that I had heard her, and only relaxed after her boot falls had disappeared down the hall. In the silence that followed, Cal whispered breathlessly, "Where are we?"

I bent down and smoothing his hair back I whispered, "We're safe, but I'm having Farley take us to Julian. Sara will be able to help you."

He sighed weakly, and then closed his eyes, nodding off into an unconscious state. I watched him for a few more seconds, wondering if we really would find safety at the Lerolan estate. At this point, probably not. We had the King as a hostage now, but by doing that, I had a feeling that I had opened the door for Samson to take the throne. Somehow, that seemed like a worse alternative than what we had faced previously.

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **DUN DUN DUN! And that ladies and gentlemen, brings us to the epilogues of Silver as the Sword, I'm honestly on cloud nine right now too, because oh my god I literally just wrote two of these? And I've never finished two fanfiction of this length before… and oh my god this one's almost over… and get to see the one that I literally have been dying to write since day one? Anyway, I hope you're all as excited and yet sad as I am, as we start to bring the curtain down on Silver as the Sword. But have no fear because… GOLD AS THE CROWN IS HERE! That's right ladies and gents, there is a third story called GOLD AS THE CROWN. It should have the dramatis persona published within the next week, and the first chapter up hopefully by thanksgiving. (:**_

 _ **Also I apologize, I did not spend a lot of time editing this, mostly because it was so damn long (10,050 words) and I'm really lazy, and I wanted to get the epilogues up at the same time. So sorry, not sorry. (:**_

 _ **QUESTION TIME:**_

 _ **What do you think of Samson letting Maven go? What do you think his major plans are? (evil chuckle)**_


	17. Epilogue 1

Epilogue

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

The waters of the beach near the Prince River sloshed at my boots as I stumbled out of the waves, dragging Cal behind me, who wasn't doing any better than he had been doing earlier. He was barely conscious, and he had started mumbling incoherently about his father a few hours ago. The entire trip down to the estate had taken a grand total of two days, even with the mersive at full power. I had learned about the strange metal tube we were riding in after a few hours of being on board. Shade had shown me around, while Chelsea watched over Cal, and tried to keep him comfortable. Originally, I had left to go and talk to Maven, but after entering the tiny room we were keeping him in, I had inhaled sharply, and then turned and left, unable to face the monster.

Now, Shade was manhandling him up the beach, and he was coughing around the salt water that he had swallowed while trying to swim to shore with the rest of us. He certainly didn't look like a king, let alone a power Silver. IN fact, he looked remarkably like the boy who had once held my heart.

As soon as we were on the sand though, I looked up the high cliff face, and saw a lone figure standing at the top, with greying hair, and a dark jacket and shirt on. For a moment, I almost cried, and much to my surprise, I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks upon seeing him. _Julian_ , my old mentor, Cal's uncle, the man who had risked everything on a Red girl from the Stilts who had almost gotten him killed.

After a few seconds, he was joined by another figure, a woman's judging by the outline. And I straightened up upon seeing them together. Julian Jacos, and the love of his life, Sara Skonos, who had been stolen from him at a young age by a Queen who had been terrified of another Queen's ghostly memory. The two of them had escaped Archeon two years ago, and with a weak smile, I held my hand up to him, and then almost stumbled with Cal's weight.

Upon seeing out disastrous little party trying to make it to the cliffs alone, they had started down toward us. I collapsed to the sand then, suddenly too weak to carry on. I hadn't slept in over three days, and it was finally taking its toll. My vision was blurry and my muscle shook with fatigue. I could only hope that we would be safe here though, and that we would be able to hide and regain out strength before we were forced to plow ahead.

Shade paused next to me, heaving for breath and looking up at Julian and Sara's forms that were descending what looked like stone steps that had been carved into the cliffs. Behind him, Chelsea and Oscar were helping Maggie out of the last of the waves before she got knocked over by them again. Even father behind them, Farley stood on top of the mersive, waiting to see if she needed to fire on whoever was coming for us. She had told us that she was going to go back to Tuck and settle the Guard, but that we should stay here for the time being. She would stay in touch with us, and we would stay in touch with her, and let her know when we were ready to leave.

Julian touched the sand first and came sprinting toward us once he saw his nephew lying in the sand next to me. He slid across the last few feet on his knees and then checked Cal for a pulse before pulling his hand away and demanding to know what had happened. I told him as much as I could, gesturing to Maven who was sitting like a wet cat on the sand, with his narrowed eyes on Julian.

The older man narrowed his eyes in response and then turned to look at me. He looked older than I remembered, but the dark circles under his eyes weren't as prominent anymore. With a weak nod he whispered, "Anabel has prepared for your arrival," he paused for a moment, and then smiled as he said, "she's very anxious to meet the woman that stole her grandson's heart."

I blushed deeply, but still smiled weakly and then threw my arms around Julian's neck, soaking him with my wet shirt. He chuckled softly, and then wrapped his arms around me and whispered, "It's alright my dear, you're all safe now."

I squeezed my eyes shut though, and with hot tears running down my cheeks, I whispered, "No Julian, we're not safe. The war is only beginning, we set the spark like you said we would… the fire is catching now though, and we're not ready."

He stroked my hair softly, and then whispered, "Then we better get you rested, and my nephew healed. I have a feeling Norta will need you both very soon."

I nodded again, and then pulled away too look into his soft eyes, he pushed my hair out of my face and then whispered, "Like you said, the war had only begun, and I have a feeling that you will never be able to stop the dominos now that you have let them fall."

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH that's the end, that's it! There will be no Authors note for the next epilogue cause it looks too pretty to be destroyed with this kind of thing. Anyway, yes, Julian is back, and so is Sara. And that concludes Silver as the Sword. Honestly, I want to thank everyone who transitioned over from Red as the Dawn, namely Evelyn Turner (the fantastic and one and only), Sakura Moonshine (the adorable), Entr0py, Ironxsilver (you know u a badass gurl), Maudthebookeater, and last but not least, Emotowin03. On wattpad, a big shout out to: Asewhj (who literally devoured this story on both wattpad and fanfiction and left me so many amazing comments), Theseletion5, chels_the_bookworm, shattered_quill, thebookfandomss_, mezainabR, and newly to this group, PricilaMorais2 (who literally read both books in less than three days like seriously props to her).**_

 _ **Thank you to all of you amazing people. You have kept me going when I literally didn't want to go anymore. Your comments, reviews, votes, and support mean so much to me. I hope to continue seeing you all again too in: GOLD AS THE CROWN which should be posted in a week. (:**_

 _ **Final question Silver as the Sword,**_

 _ **Any predictions for Gold as the Crown guys?(Maybe requests? There are a few little spaces that I need scene inspo for). I'd love to hear all of them. Won't say if any of the predictions are true though, cause spoilers obvi, but I love to see them. (:**_


	18. Epilogue 2

The following message has been decoded

 **Confidential, Command Clearance Required**

 **Operative** : Commander Redacted

 **Designation** : Lamb

 **Origin:** Redacted

 **Destination** : Trial, LL

-operation **STRIKE BACK** is a **FAILURE** , reinforcements unnecessary.

- **Red Casualties** : 5

- **Silver Casualties** : unknown

-recovered **SPITFIRE** and **STORM** from **ARC**

- **SPITFIRE** in serious condition, caused by **UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE** created by **CROWN**.

-In possession of **CROWN** now

-Seeking refuge in **SOUTH NRT** , will go to **TRIAL** as soon as possible, prepare to receive.

 **RISE RED AS THE DAWN**

* * *

The Following message has been decoded

 **Confidential, Command Clearance Required**

 **Operative** : General Redacted

 **Designation** : Ram

 **Origin** : Redacted

 **Destination** : LAMB at LEROLORN ESTATE, NRT

- **PROCEED.**

 **RISE RED AS THE DAWN**


End file.
